


An Unconventional FamILY

by EmPhoenixCat



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Demonic Possession, Demons, Dragon Witch - Freeform, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Some Fluff, Some angst, Vampires, and some vampires prefer lattes over blood, and werewolves love to sing, demons really love chocolate btw, the more you know, there's no chocolate in purgatory, well more accurately she's a demon witch here, who's ready for a heartwarming tale about demon possession?, why do you think they're always howling?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-05-21 18:17:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14920457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmPhoenixCat/pseuds/EmPhoenixCat
Summary: Logan has never really had a family of his own, but everything he's ever known is changed after he discovers two brothers, trying to survive on the streets without proper adult supervision. And that's the story of how a sassy vampire and a high-maintenance werewolf came to live with him. It's only logical to help those in need, right? He can totally handle this. Possibly....maybe....Don't even get him started on the demon-possessed emo that they meet along the way.





	1. Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: implied past abuse and one swear word at the end of this chapter

_ Logan still wasn’t sure how his life had slipped into utter chaos. Sometimes he missed the normalcy and organization of his life before he knew what creatures dwelled beyond his cozy bookshop walls. Other times, he would stop and smile at what his life had become and the family that he had found. _

_ He never saw the change coming. He never would’ve guessed what that night had in store for him. _

_ Vampires, werewolves, and demons….the things that children so often fear. _

_ He scoffed at the thought, remembering how afraid  they  had been the night he found them. _

* * *

“Can you help me find my brother?”

Logan glanced down to see a young boy not more than ten years old. He thought it was rather irresponsible for somebody to let their kid run about at this time of night. He scrutinized the boy closely, “Where are your parents?”

The boy’s face paled in fear and Logan couldn’t help but wonder why. Perhaps he had run away from home and was worried about being taken back. Well, Logan was definitely going to make sure that this kid and his brother got home safely, even if that meant lying.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me anything if you wish not to. I would like to help though. So would you mind describing what your brother looks like?”

The boy visibly relaxed and looked at Logan thoughtfully. “He has dark brown hair, usually has a leather jacket, and he wears sunglasses.”

Logan chuckled a bit at that, “He wears sunglasses at night?”

The kid nodded nervously, “He has an eye condition and doesn’t like taking them off, but he has a bad habit of wandering off at night an--and--”

_ Oh no,  _ Logan thought.  _ I can’t have any crying kids on my hands. _

“We will find him, okay? You have no reason to worry,” he reassured. “Um, what’s his name?”

“R--Remy.”

Logan smiled, “Alright, now where did you last see your brother?”

“At the  _ 7-Eleven, _ I think.”

“You think?”

The boy looked at him sheepishly, “I kinda have a bad habit of getting lost too.”

Logan frowned, wondering if this could be some sort of scam. He had heard about adults getting children to trick kind-hearted people into letting their guard down. Then, when they least expected it, they would get mugged in an alleyway or something. But glancing at the kid’s fearful face, Logan highly doubted that that was the case.

Throwing caution out the window, Logan decided to head to the  _ 7-Eleven _ with the boy.

“My name is Logan, by the way. I don’t believe you’ve mentioned yours yet.”

“My name’s Roman,” the kid hesitantly smiled.

“Pleased to meet you, Roman.”

* * *

They ended up finding Remy a few blocks away from the store. He sat outside a coffee shop with a latte in hand.

“Remy!” Roman launched himself into the other boy’s arms and Logan couldn’t help but smile at the scene.

“Hey, Ro. Where have you been? I thought we agreed to meet up at the coffee shop.”

Roman’s face twisted in confusion, “I don’t remember that. When did you tell me that?”

Remy sighed and ruffled his brother’s wavy locks. He shifted his gaze to Logan, “Who’s the teacher dude?”

Logan rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed at the nickname. “I am Logan.”

“He helped me find you,” Roman added.

Remy firmly pushed his sunglasses up against his face as if he were afraid they would fall off. He stood and walked over to Logan, “Hey, thanks for helping my lil bro.”

“It was no trouble,” Logan held his hand out for a handshake, but Remy gave him a high-five instead.

“You’re cool, teach dude. I hope you have a nice night.”

_“Riiight,”_ Logan eyed him in confusion. 

_ Kids these days. Sheesh. _

 

“While I am always delighted to assist those in need, I would very much like to know where your parents or guardians are, Remy.”

The boy stiffened, “They--they’re on vacation, they’ll be back next week.”

Logan scoffed in disbelief, “Really? And they left _you_ in charge?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact.”

“How old are you?”

Remy smirked, “One hundred and thirteen.”

His sarcasm was really starting to get on Logan’s nerves. “I am only trying to help.”

“You already have,” Remy replied, turning his back on Logan and reaching out to hold his brother’s hand. 

“If you insist on not telling me then I am afraid that I will have to contact the proper authorities.”

“Alright, alright. Calm down, gurl. I’ll tell you, but not here. I’d rather not have to explain our circumstances in public.”

Logan raised an eyebrow, “Fine. I suppose my bookstore will be a sufficient place of privacy.”

So they made there way back to the closed store. Logan unlocked the door and opened it, waiting for the others to file inside. Much to his annoyance, Remy just stood there.

“I am holding the door open for you. You may enter,” he clarified impatiently.

“Oh, hah!. I’m sorry, gurl. I don’t think this coffee has enough kick to it,” the boy said as he strolled in. “Nice crib.”

“I don’t live here.”

“Right, well--whatevs.”

 

Roman kept glancing nervously between Remy and Logan as if he expected them to fight. He tugged on his brother’s sleeve, “What are you going to tell him?”

“Shh, don’t worry. I got this under control, Ro.”

 

Logan cleared his throat, “You are not in any kind of trouble. I simply want to make sure that you children are safe. It is highly dangerous to wander around this time of night.”

Neither of them answered. Remy simply sighed.

Logan was about to say something more, but stopped abruptly as the boy removed his sunglasses. He gasped and whatever he was about to say was lost as he stared in fascination and shock.

The boy’s eyes were glowing a deep blood red. Logan found that he could not look away from them, the glow trapping him in a trance.

_ “You will forget all about us.” _

Logan nodded drowsily, their features already slipping from his memories. He was beginning to fall asleep, but a voice cut through the fog that was settling around his mind.

“No, Rem! Stop it! Stop it! You can’t do this, don’t you remember what happened last time?”

 

The voice sounded so far away and Logan struggled to remember who it belonged to.  _ It was--It was….Roman _ . He sounded panicked for some reason and that was what snapped Logan back to reality.

 

“Ro, why would you do that? I’m trying to protect you and now--now I--” Remy was blinking and blinking, his head falling forward in exhaustion.  _ “Fuck.”  _

And then he passed out completely, Roman’s worried face the last thing he saw before everything went dark.


	2. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan is surprised to find that the brothers he helped are not human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: implied past abuse and slight food mention

It took a moment for Logan to completely come to his senses. By the time he did, Remy was passed out on the floor and Roman was crying. 

“Wha--what just--?” Logan rubbed at his eyes and fixed his glasses in confusion.

 

Roman jumped in front of his brother’s sleeping form, “Don’t hurt him! You’ll have to go through me first!”

“Why would I want to harm him?”

“B--because,” Roman was shaking and wiping away the tears. He couldn’t look fierce if he was crying after all. “Because he’s a vampire.”

“He--what?” Logan shook his head, eyeing the unconscious boy in disbelief.

“I won’t let you hurt him!”

He turned his attention back to Roman who looked ready to fight with everything he had. Logan’s expression softened in understanding. “I’m not going to hurt him, Roman. I promise I won’t. I just....” he gave a tired sigh.  “....I have many questions.”

Roman lowered his defenses, “You won’t hurt him?”

“I promise.”

The boy relaxed, a puzzled expression growing on his face. “But I thought all humans were dangerous to our kind.”

“Your kind?” Logan echoed. “Are you a vampire too?’

Roman gave a small laugh, “Werewolf actually.”

Logan stared incredulously, “But how?”

He shifted uncomfortably, “My brother was born a vamp and I was bitten by a werewolf. It’s sorta a long story. Basically, me being bitten was revenge of some sort. He won’t tell me all the details, but he got on someone’s bad side and they decided to hurt him by hurting me. I think they figured that he’d kill me once the others ordered it. Vampires aren’t supposed to get along with werewolves, but Rem was never one to pay attention to the rules.” Roman smiled softly at that.

Logan glanced at the sleeping vampire, “You’re both runaways then?”

“Yes.”

“And your parents?”

He shuddered, “Vampirism skips a generation or two. Our parents didn’t like that we were different.”

He said nothing more on the matter and Logan decided that it was a touchy subject.

“I thought that vampires didn’t sleep. I mean, that’s what the legends led me to believe.”

“Oh, yeah.  _ That. _ ” Roman frowned. “Remy is a fledgling until he drinks human blood. Once he does, he’s stuck at the age he currently is. Because of his fledgling status, his power is pretty limited. He can’t do the whole mind control bit without passing out for a few days.”

“So how old is he really?”

“He’s only thirteen,” Roman laughed. “He’s just _really_ sarcastic.”

Logan smirked, “I see.”

Roman shuffled awkwardly, “Well, thanks for being understanding. You’re a really nice guy, Lo. But we should get going before sunrise.”

“You're leaving? You shouldn't leave. Mythical creatures or not, it’s still dangerous for you two to wander at night by yourselves. Especially now that Remy is in the process of recovering.”

“What are we supposed to do then?” Roman’s brows furrowed in question.

“I suppose you’ll just have to stay with me for the time being.”

“Wait what?’ Roman asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Well, it would simply be _illogical_ to let a vampire and a werewolf face a world of unpredictable humans by themselves. And who knows what kind of trouble you might get into?”

The boy stared at him incredulously, “You--you want us to  stay ?” 

“I’m not taking no as an answer,” Logan said, already scooping Remy off the ground and placing him on a nearby couch.

Roman watched with a new kind of respect shining in his eyes. 

“Thank you,” he said, smiling appreciatively.

Logan couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips, “It is no problem.”

But Roman saw through the serious, no-nonsense exterior. This wasn’t about logic or curiosity, or even pity. In his heart of hearts, Logan was doing this out of pure kindness.

 

Logan was taken aback when Roman suddenly hugged him, “Really though, thank you.”

* * *

 

When Remy woke up, he found himself lying on a sofa with a black and blue quilt tucked around him. He squinted at his surroundings in confusion, trying to remember what had happened before he had passed out.

Luckily, the room was dark enough for his sensitive eyes. The TV in front of the couch was off and the windows beside it were covered with blinds. Okay, so everything seemed fine for right now. But where were his sunglasses? Where was he at? Where was Roman? What had happened?

He sat up slowly, wearily aware that he must have used his mind control powers for some good reason or else he wouldn’t have blacked out. That made him really worried. 

“Roman?” he called in a hoarse whisper.

He tiptoed silently around the house, straining his ears for danger.

There was a sound of jingling keys and then a door creaking open as someone shuffled inside.  The vampire quickly followed the noise, keeping close to the walls so as not to be seen.

A familiar man wearing thick glasses and a black button-down shirt was setting down what appeared to be groceries on a kitchen counter.

Remy let in a hiss of breath as the memories began to come back. This was the guy he had been trying to hypnotize, but Roman had interrupted.  _ Roman. _

 

His red eyes narrowed and he jumped out of his hiding spot, pushing the man to the ground. “Where’s my brother? What did you do to him?”

The man blinked in surprise before attempting to push the boy off him. He sighed and rolled his eyes, “Could you get off of me, please?”

“Not until you tell me where Roman is.”

“He’s outside, he should be coming in at any moment.”

Remy stared at him, “What?”

“Yeah, he’s helping me get the groceries out of the car.”

And just as Remy was about to question the man further, he heard a voice from behind him.

“You’re awake!”

“Roman?” he asked with apparent relief in his tone. The sun was filtering in through the open door and he squinted up at the other boy.

“Oh, here!” Roman said as he placed the shades on the vampire’s nose. His vision cleared as the room darkened. “Don’t worry, Rem. Logan is a good human and he agreed to let us stay for a little while.”

He turned his attention back to the man on the floor. “Oh shoot! I’m sorry, gurl!” He smiled sheepishly as he got off of the guy and helped him to his feet, “I wasn’t sure if you were friend or foe. Forgive me?”

“I’ll forgive you if you stop calling me  _ gurl _ ,” Logan said.

Remy grinned, “Not a chance, gurl.”

Roman laughed and Logan rolled his eyes.

 

“So….you’re like, okay with me and Roman being…. _ different _ ?” Remy asked, rubbing nervously at the back of his neck.

“Everyone has their differences,” Logan said matter-of-factly. “To ostracize someone for things that are out of their control, is highly nonsensical and rather ignorant.”

The vampire nodded, “Are you sure you aren’t doing this because we’re fascinating creatures you wanna study?”

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by the existence of mythical creatures and the like; however, you are people. And as such, you deserve to be treated with respect.”

“I don’t understand,” Remy said, tilting his head in contemplation. “You--you’re human.”

Logan lightly laughed, “I guess I’m not the typical human. I think we’ll get along just fine because from what Roman has told me already, you are not the typical vampire.”

Remy frowned at his brother for a moment before turning back to Logan. “Soo, you don’t like….have any ulterior motives?”

Logan gave the werewolf and vampire a meaningful look, “I guess….in a weird way, you two remind me of myself when I was younger.” He glanced away and began putting away groceries. “I was a foster child and rather unpopular among the other children. They didn’t like me because I was different. Not different like you, but I was rejected nonetheless,” he sighed heavily. “I just--I don’t want you to ever feel alone in the world.”

For a few minutes, the only sound was the rustle of plastic bags as Logan pulled out different food items and placed them neatly in the fridge and pantry. 

Remy stood in stunned silence and Roman shifted from one foot to the other awkwardly.

“I don’t know what to say. Honestly, I never would’ve known you ever--” Remy took a deep breath, “It’s just that….you seem like someone who knows what he’s doing. Someone who has his entire life figured out and I guess, it doesn’t make sense why you would want us to ruin that life plan.”

Logan scoffed, “I might own a business and dress to impress, but I’ll admit that I am quite a mess on the inside. I’ve never been very good at the more social aspects of things.” He ran his hands through his hair nervously, “And I’ve already completed my life plan. I graduated and started a business and now I’m living a comfortable life alone. Well….not alone at the moment, I suppose.”

We’ll stay with you! Won’t we, Rem?” Roman exclaimed.

“Dude,” Remy laughed. “You need to chill out. We can only stay if that’s what the teach really wants. I mean, it’s not like he’s talking about adopting us or some crazy shizz like that.”

Roman pouted, “Isn’t that exactly what he’s saying though? He said we can stay. He never said it was temporary.”

The vampire shook his head and sighed, “I’m sorry.” He looked pointedly at Logan, “Roman tends to let his imagination run away with him at times.”

“No, it is perfectly alright. I never did say it was temporary. In fact….” Logan hesitated, “....you could stay for however long you need. I really don’t mind the company.”

“See!” Roman shouted in triumph. “Of course he wants us to stay. He even bought some steak because he knew you’d be waking up soon and that you’d need to recover your energy somehow. Oh, and he said that we can share the guest room and decorate it if we wanted to!”

Remy glanced at Logan sadly, “You shouldn’t let princey boy down like that.”

“Princey boy?”

“He _insists_ he’s royalty.”

“I _am_ royalty,” Roman said, sticking out his tongue.

Remy stuck his tongue out too and poked Roman in the nose, “Whatevs, princey. You should go watch TV or something and let the grown-ups chat.”

“You aren’t a grown-up,” he said indignantly.

Rem let out an exasperated sigh and Logan smirked. “It’s okay, the little prince is right.”

The vampire glared, “I am so totally an adult.”

Logan shook his head, “No, I mean he’s right about me....wanting to adopt you.”

“No, nope. There’s no way you _actually_ want that, dude. If I wasn’t a fledgling, I’d demand the truth right out of you because what you just said is an effed up _lie_.”

“I am not lying to you,” Logan firmly said. 

“He isn’t lying, Rem. I know he isn’t. He carried you all the way home and made sure all the blinds were closed so the sunlight wouldn’t bother you. He asked me if you could eat regular food and went out and bought all your favorite things. He went out and bought all the Disney films I wanted. He even got you some new sunglasses in case you lost your other ones,” Roman explained softly.

Remy was glad he was wearing shades because tears pricked at his eyes. “Wha--are you trying to turn my bro against me or something?”

“Not at all. If you sincerely wish to leave, you are free to go. Although, I think you should at least stay until you feel strong enough,” Logan replied.

 

He couldn’t help it. It just wasn’t possible. After two years of living on the streets and using his hypnosis to stop others from getting suspicious, this guy was offering them a place to stay? More than that, he was offering them a  _ home _ . 

A  _ family _ ?

 

Before he could stop it, Remy let out an audible sob. He bit his lip in embarrassment, noticing the looks of worry he was getting from both Roman and Logan.

Logan cleared his throat, “I understand the distrust. I really do. But please….if you could just give me a chance to show you that I truly mean well.”

Sincerity shone in Logan’s eyes and tears of his own were becoming visible behind those thick-rimmed glasses.

Looking at his brother’s hopeful gaze and Logan’s genuine concern, Remy decided to take a chance. 

He slowly nodded.

“Okay.”


	3. Thief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Remy and Roman are still adjusting to life with Logan, Ro has an odd encounter with a stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: implied past abuse, slight food mention, slight blood mention, demons, possession

“But I want Disney-themed walls!”

“Too bad, I want the night sky.”

“Well, why don’t you just stay outside then?”

“Maybe I will.”

A look of alarm crossed Roman’s features, “Wait, no. I didn’t mean that.”

“Oh really?” Remy lowered his shades and looked at his brother teasingly. “Too late, I’ve decided that I’d much rather be somewhere else.”

The vampire began to walk out, but then he heard Roman’s apologetic tone.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I don’t want you to leave. I want you here with me and if that means no Disney then I’m okay with that.”

Remy looked guiltily at his brother, “Nah, don’t be ridiculous. I--I was just kidding.” He hadn’t realized just how cruel his words had been. “We can compromise.”

The prince brightened and started listing off different designs as Remy smirked at all his brother’s crazy ideas. 

After settling on a design combo of the night sky and _The Lion King_ ,  they went to see what Logan was up to. He was sitting on the couch typing away on a laptop.

“Whatcha up to, dude?’

Logan glanced up and readjusted his glasses, “Accounting.”

Remy plopped himself on the arm of the couch, “You don’t have other people do that for you?”

“Why pay for something that I can do myself?”

“I guess ya have a point. Just seems like a lot of work.”

“Speaking of work,” Logan said without looking up from the screen. “Shouldn’t you two be enrolled in school?”

The two boys shared a look and Remy just shook his head, “Nope, we’re good.”

Logan glanced up, “That was more of a rhetorical question.”

“Y--you’re not going to make us, are you?” Roman asked hesitantly.

“I will not force you, however you two do require an education of some sort. And seeing how I do not have any birth certificates or proof of adoption, I can’t really enroll you anyway.”

The boys relaxed at Logan’s words. They weren’t going to be forced into attending a public school. They had done that before and it had been a monumental mistake. Never again.

“What do you suggest then?” Remy questioned.

“I was thinking that I could probably homeschool you. You would probably have to stay at the bookstore with me during weekdays and I could give lessons in between shifts.”

Remy looked puzzled, “Why do we have to stay at the bookstore? Why can’t we just stay here and meet you there later?”

Logan glanced at the uncomprehending faces of the two boys and sighed. “I’m guessing that you boys don’t really know what it means to be a guardian.”

“Don’t try to patronize us,  _ pops _ ,” Remy glared. “Just because we missed a few years of school, doesn’t mean were stupid.”

“I think you misunderstand me.” Logan hesitated, “I mean, did your….previous parents leave you alone a lot?”

“What’s your point?” Remy snapped.

“Look….you are still rather young and most guardians would not leave adolescents your age alone all day. For fear of kidnapping and other unforeseen dangers, most caretakers certainly wouldn't allow them to travel through the city unattended.”

“Oh….” Remy was wringing his hands and looking contemplative.

Logan shut his laptop and gave the boys his full attention, “I didn’t mean to bring back unpleasant memories. I simply wanted to inform you that as a guardian, I feel--I think it would be safer for you to stay in the bookstore during workdays.”

“....makes sense,” Remy agreed. “Whatcha think, Ro?” he glanced at his brother.

Roman nodded slowly, “I think it sounds like a good idea.”

“Okay then. Now that we have the issue settled, would either of you like to watch a movie before we retire to bed?”

“Yes!” Roman excitedly shouted. “Can I choose?”

“Maybe we can give Remy a turn to choose?”

“Nah, it’s okay. I don’t mind," Rem said as he settled on the couch once more, his arms tucked behind his head.

Roman grinned, “Can we watch  _ The Jungle Book _ ?”

“I don’t see why not,” Logan said as he searched up the movie.

They sat together on the couch, smiling whenever Roman burst out into song. The prince urged them to join along, but Logan claimed that he wasn’t much of a singer and Remy only sang along on certain songs that he liked.

Logan fell asleep before the movie ended, but Roman wanted Remy to put on another.

“Okay, okay,” he laughed. “What do you want?”

“ _ Peter Pan?” _

 

Halfway through the second movie, Remy noticed his brother rubbing sleepily at his eyes.

“You tired, Ro?”

“No.”

Remy raised his eyebrows, “Oh really?”

Roman nodded.

“You’re such a bad liar, princey boy. Why don’t you go to bed?”

“You’re not going anywhere are you?” the boy asked in worry.

“Gurl, you crazy. Of course I’m not going anywhere.”

Roman didn’t laugh, a serious look in his eyes, “You promise?”

“I promise,” he said firmly. “I promise I’ll be here no matter what.”

“Good,” the prince smiled in relief. He yawned and laid his head against his brother’s shoulder. Within a few minutes, he was softly snoring.

The vampire wrapped a protective arm around Roman and tried to sleep, but rest would not come. The exhaustion would only come later when the sun began to rise. He sighed and shifted comfortably on the couch, ready to spend the night watching movies. It was better than the nights spent outside in the cold, completely paranoid about passing strangers and potential dangers. 

Remy shuddered to think about all the times Roman had had to protect  _ him _ from threats after he had used his mind control power. The werewolf wasn’t like Rem, he needed more sleep and yet he had sacrificed so many days of sleep to watch over his stupid brother.

He hated himself for not being able to protect princey boy. Not just from the group of idiots who had turned the boy part wolf, but from their cruel parents. They had always treated him differently and he was used to that. Roman, on the other hand, had not been on the receiving end of that abhorrence until Remy’s mistakes had caught up with him. So stupid.

If he had only left home and cut all ties, but Roman had begged for him to stay. The only person to love him no matter what. The only person he could truly call family.

Remy glanced at Logan who was sleeping on the other side of the couch, the nerd’s glasses were askew and he looked less like an adult and more like a teenager. The vampire smirked, hopefully this guy wasn’t just thinking of them as some sort of charity case. Something about him seemed genuine and Rem was rather grateful for how he had taken care of Roman, even if he was slightly skeptical of the guy’s intentions.

He was taking a chance by being here, but princey boy deserved a semi-normal childhood. He owed him at least that much.

* * *

 

Roman sat on one of the chairs in Logan’s bookshop, his feet propped up on one of the tables despite the man telling him to keep his feet off the furniture. He lazily munched on some chips and surveyed the customers that came into the store. He was bored out of his mind and he couldn’t even talk to his brother because the vampire was in the backroom catching up on his sleep. Even though Remy didn’t need much sleep, he had trouble keeping a normal schedule; he was a nocturnal creature after all.

The bored prince swung his feet off the table and sighed loudly, “Hey, Lo?”

“Yes, Roman?”

Why is your store called  _ Vellichor?  _ What does that mean anyway?”

Logan smiled, “It means the strange wistfulness of used bookshops. It was a word invented to describe a feeling that previously could not be expressed in one word.”

Roman’s ears perked up in interest, “People can just invent words?”

“How do you think the english vocabulary keeps expanding?”

The boy shrugged, “I guess I didn’t really think about it.”

Logan looked like he was going to say more, but a customer was coming up to the register with their purchases and he had to focus his attention on them.

 

So Roman decided he should at least go see if there was anything interesting in the fairytale section. He was surprised to see a boy around his age intently searching through the history texts. It didn’t make any sense to him as to why the other kid would be so very interested in history, especially since he looked more like a troublemaker than a studious student. The boy stopped abruptly, his gaze shifting to Roman’s. He almost seemed to be scrutinizing Roman the same way he had been examining the bookshelves. His eyes widened as if coming to some sort of realization before he dropped eye contact and shuffled away to the mythology section of the store.

Curious, Roman decided to see what the punkish-looking boy was searching for. The prince peered through the shelves watching as the boy pulled out a book labeled  _ The Ancient Art of Magic and Curses.  _

Roman hadn’t pegged this kid as someone to be interested in the occult, but the boy’s expression brightened as he stared at the cover. He nodded in thought and skimmed through the pages and then discreetly glanced around before pocketing the book. 

“Hey!” Roman shouted in protest.

Fear crossed the other’s face and he ran to the front of the store, making a beeline for the door.

“What’s going on?” Logan asked in bewilderment.

“That boy just stole a book,” Roman pointed at the figure rushing outside. “Don’t worry though. I can catch him!” he grinned.

“Wait, Roman. I don’t think--”

But the prince was already out the door and in quick pursuit of the thief.

 

Catching up to the boy was actually quite a challenge, but anytime the punk got out of sight, Roman’s wolf instincts zeroed in on the other’s trail. The thief didn’t have a chance of getting away. Roman could run for miles without tiring and it was one of the few things he enjoyed.

Once he finally caught up to the thief, Roman just about pounced on him. “You better return what you stole,” he said, slightly out of breath. 

The kid looked terrified and Roman almost felt sorry for him. He couldn’t help but wonder why somebody would steal from a used bookshop of all places. It didn’t make sense.

“Let go of me!” the boy yelled in a panic, struggling against the other. Roman could feel his racing heartbeat and the scent of anxiety wafted strong in the air. 

“Hey, calm down. I’ll let you go if you just--”

The prince gasped as the boy’s light hazel eyes darkened to a complete pitch-black. He was taken by total surprise when he was thrown backward with so much force that he nearly hit his head against the pavement. Luckily, his instincts kicked in just in time for him to catch himself before he hit the ground. 

When he looked back up, the other’s eyes were clearing and guilt was replacing the darkness. The boy looked hesitant and rather conflicted before running off down some alleyway.

Roman let him go, deciding that this was one chase he was going to lose. He sighed and began walking back to  _ Vellichor. _

 

“Roman!” Logan was running through the crowded streets and sounded distressed. Another voice rang out, “Ro!”

Remy was with him.

The prince felt really bad about making them worry, he quickened his pace so he could show them he was okay.

“There you are,” Logan sighed in relief. “Don’t you ever run off like that again,” he scolded, pulling him into a hug.

“Yeah….what the hell, Ro?” Remy came up beside them. His words were harsh, but he was disheveled and distraught. 

Guilt gnawed at Roman, “I--I’m sorry, guys. I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

“Logan said you were trying to catch a thief….what happened?”

This was going to be a bit difficult to explain, Roman tried his best though. He didn’t know what the boy was, but he obviously wasn’t human.

Logan and Remy frowned.

“This is why you need to be more careful,” Rem sighed.

“Indeed. Just because you have certain capabilities, doesn’t mean you can’t get hurt,” Logan agreed. “C’mon, I already closed up shop for today. We can go have an early lunch at that cafe down the street.”

“Ooh,” Rem grinned. “Can I get a venti caramel mocha with extra shots of caffeine?”

Logan rolled his eyes, “You’re not the one who just chased down a thief.”

“What’s your point?”

Roman laughed, “Doesn’t matter if you don’t get it, Lo. He’ll figure it out one way or another.”

“I thought he couldn’t use mind control without passing out.”

“I can’t, but my transformation skills are on point.”

“I don’t understand, how does that help you get coffee?” Logan frowned.

They were walking along a less crowded street now and Rem lowered his shades and winked, “People tend to freak out when a bat glides into their cafe and starts flying at customer’s faces.”

Logan stifled a laugh, “Oh my god, you didn’t.”

The vampire smirked, “I prefer caffeine over blood most days.”

“What exactly did you do to get blood anyway? Steak isn’t exactly cheap.”

Remy shrugged and slipped the sunglasses back up. “You don’t wanna know.”

“He would have to go chase down some poor stray animals.”

“Roman!”

“What?”

“Shut up.”

“What I do?” the prince asked in confusion.

“I believe it's something he is not particularly proud of,” Logan observed as the vampire’s cheeks flushed a light pink.

“Ugh,” Remy shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and looked at the ground. “It was either a stray animal or like fifty burgers. And we usually didn’t have enough cash for all that.”

“It’s okay, there’s no need to be embarrassed.”

“I guess, but I don’t _like_ killing things,” the vampire grimaced.

“Perfectly understandable.”

“That’s why I try not to use my powers all that much. Transformation is a bit different for some reason though. It just feels more natural I guess.”

“Maybe because you aren’t getting into someone’s head,” Roman pointed out.

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Well, don’t worry. I am going to get all of us a large coffee and some sandwiches, I think we deserve it,” Logan declared.

Roman and Remy smiled as they all headed down to the cafe.

For the moment, the thief that had gotten away was pushed to the back of their minds.

* * *

 

 

It wasn’t until they went back to  _ Vellichor  _ the next morning that they were all reminded of the strange boy.

On the steps to the shop, sat the stolen book.

Logan picked the text up and flipped through it, a note fluttered out and landed before his feet. Before he could do anything more, Roman swiftly snatched the note and began to read aloud.

  
  


_ I would like to apologize for stealing this book. I don’t know if you’d care for an explanation or whatever, but basically….I’m cursed and was hoping to find an answer within these pages (we didn’t). Wolf boy saw it when we fought him off. By the way, I’m really sorry about that….it’s just that….you scared me. I don’t like being trapped like that and I guess I panicked and called for his help without realizing it. It doesn’t take much for him to come out. He’s also making it painfully clear that he would rather just keep the book, but I don’t take without reason despite how much he tells me to. Oh and if you’re wondering how I know about the whole wolf thing….it’s just one of the perks of having a demon watching out for your well-being, I guess. Together, we can see things that others don’t. Don’t worry though, we won’t tell anybody. We don’t really have anybody to tell anyways. So yeah. We are sorry, well, I am sorry. Dax doesn’t really give a fuck. _

_ -Vigilate and Mendacius (Dax) _

 

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes, letting the words sink in.

Surprisingly, Logan was the first to speak. “A boy possessed by a demon? I suppose that isn’t a common occurrence, even for you guys?” he asked hopefully.

Remy couldn’t help but laugh, “Never heard of it. Not a real case such as this, anyway. Usually, it’s just some humans looking for attention.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Logan sighed. “I would hope that I’m not  _ that _ ignorant about the world around me.”

“No, you’re not,” Roman said softly, still staring down at the note.

“Is everything okay?” Logan asked in concern.

“It’s just….I have no control over myself during the full moon. I can’t possibly imagine trying to fight that part of yourself like….all the time.”

“Oh, Ro,” Remy wrapped an arm around his brother’s shoulders. 

Roman just shook his head and said no more. He didn’t know how he felt about the demon-possessed boy. The prince certainly didn’t like the way he called him ‘wolf boy.’ Nor did he like how this boy and his demon could see through human guises. He shivered remembering the way the other’s eyes had darkened. It reminded Roman too much of the wolf inside him, waiting for its time to be unleashed. A wolf just following animal instinct was one thing, but a demon?

A strange tingle went up his spine and Roman turned just in time to see a lone hooded-figure across the street, watching them. The prince was about to point him out to the others, but a city bus passed by and the figure vanished from sight. Even after the bus moved away, the boy was nowhere to be seen.


	4. Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V is a bit unsettled about how he gave his demon full control when Roman scared him. He's usually so good about keeping things balanced....more or less.
> 
> *A/N: Since I'm writing from the perspective of someone possessed by a demon (which is pretty interesting and really fun to write actually), I switch from 'he' to 'they' on occasion. Hopefully, that doesn't confuse anyone.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: implied past abuse, homelessness, stealing, possession, demons, food mention, a few tears, and yes....Deceit is the demon in this fic, but he isn't gonna be pure evil. He's mostly gonna be a misguided soul that can be a total brat at times.

He smirked as he darted out of sight. 

It was a small accomplishment, but he was still proud of himself for writing the note and actually having the guts to leave it on the step of the bookstore. It had taken a lot of coaxing on his part to get Dax to help with the writing. The demon was rather stubborn when it came to apologies. V had actually had to steal a few chocolate bars to get the demon to help him write the letter, but it had been worth it. Maybe the people at the bookstore weren’t jumping for joy to see the returned item, but he felt a lot better knowing that Dax hadn’t hurt wolf boy too much. And there were very little opportunities in which V could actually apologize for their actions and have people believe them, so V was feeling less guilty about the encounter now that the wrongs were more or less righted.

They walked for a while, no destination really in mind. People glanced at them in question, no doubt wondering what a boy his age was doing outside of school without any parents in sight. They were pretty used to the curiosity of strangers. The trick was to ignore the stares and act like you knew exactly where you were going. Looking lost would only welcome comments and questions that V was incapable of answering.

The sky was clouded over, a deep shade of grey that signaled the coming storm. V frowned at the clouds, knowing that tonight was going to be cold.

_ “Where are we staying tonight?”  _ Dax’s words flowed through his mind, echoing his own thoughts.

_ “I was thinking of that abandoned house on Fifth street,”  _ V sent back and he felt more than heard the hum of agreement in his mind.

The unoccupied house was quite a walk from where they were, so he figured it would be best to pick up supplies when they were closer. That ended up being a mistake, however.

He scowled as the rain fell upon them. They wouldn’t mind so much if the rain didn’t make them look more disheveled than they already were. That only made their task of getting supplies a lot more difficult.  They would have to stop at a store before they were completely drenched. 

 

So they ducked into the nearest store, trying not to draw any more attention than necessary.  V walked into a candy aisle near the front, trying his best to appear normal. Inside, he was growing more and more nervous, “ _ Ugh, we’re too noticeable.” _

_ “Don’t worry so much. I’m an expert, remember?” _

V scoffed aloud at Dax’s bragging. 

_ “Don’t laugh at me!”  _ the demon was pouting and that only made V want to laugh even more.  _ “I’d like to see you try and do this on your own.” _

_ “Alright. Fine, let’s just get this over with,”  _ V sighed, knowing that if he did this on his own, he would surely mess it up.

He mentally took a step back, relinquishing part of his control to the demon. It wasn’t like the other day when he had panicked and given _full_ control to the other. No, this was letting go of the steering wheel while keeping your foot on the break, just in case. The other night had been more like jumping out of the driver’s seat. It had only been for a minute or so, but it scared V just how easy it was to let someone else do the steering.

Dax easily shifted into the metaphorical driver’s seat and their eyes flashed dark for a moment before reverting back to normal, hiding the true nature of the soul beneath the skin.

For V, it felt like being half asleep. He was basically sleepwalking except he was well aware of what he was doing. If he gave Dax full authority, it was more like being fully asleep because his awareness would be next to nothing. Seeing the wolf boy lying on the cement, looking utterly stunned….that had surprised V. He didn’t remember pushing the boy away like that and he shuddered to think of how the boy could’ve been fatally hurt. Dax hadn’t meant to hurt wolf boy, he only wanted to get him away. V knew this, but he also knew that the demon was rarely gentle with anyone who threatened them.

V watched as Dax steered them to the back of the store. An employee smiled politely at them, but they could see the suspicion written on her face.

“Hey, kid. Where’s your parents?” the worker asked.

Dax flashed a bright smile and looked directly in the woman’s eyes with a confidence that V didn’t have. “Oh, mom’s coming to pick me up after she’s done shopping at the store across the street,” he said matter-of-factly.

She still looked unconvinced, “But shouldn’t you be in school or something?”

V’s heart rate began to accelerate in panic and Dax had to give him a mental kick,  _ “Calm down, will you!” _

On the outside, Dax just laughed, “No, I had a dentist’s appointment earlier,” He pulled five dollars out of his pocket and proceeded to skim the shelves for snacks. He smiled kindly at the employee once more and she seemed to decide that he was a good kid before she went back to restocking the shelves.

V had watched Dax enough to know that employees typically felt more comfortable when the customer had their money ready. What the workers didn’t know was that all they really had was about five dollars that they had found on the street a while back. They had no intention of buying anything with that money because they needed so much more than that measly strip of paper could ever buy.

Out of sight of the worker, their eyes darted to the security cameras and Dax’s pupils expanded as he made the video turn to static. Then as quickly as possible, he stuffed as many bags of chips as he could into V’s hoodie. He even managed to snag some candy bars. Once he was finished, the cameras went back to normal and he was heading out the door. 

 

A few blocks away and a lot closer to their destination, V tried to switch places with a reluctant Dax. He was mentally pushed aside by the demon.

_ “Hey!”  _ V protested.

Dax rolled his eyes,  _ “You need a break, I could feel your exhaustion from how much you walked today. Besides, you're gonna have to pick the lock to the house and we both know I’m quicker than you.” _

_ “Don’t shove me aside like that.” _

_ “Oh, as if you haven’t done the same thing to me before.” _

_ “Well, it’s  _ **_my_ ** _ body,”  _ V shot back.

_ “It was  _ **_supposed_ ** _ to be mine.” _

V sighed in exasperation,  _ “And you remind me every freaking day.” _

 

As they came upon the house they were staying for the night, they made sure nobody was watching them and climbed the fence into the backyard. Dax rummaged through their pockets and pulled out a hair pin for lockpicking. Within a few seconds, the back door of the building swung open and Dax grinned triumphantly as they stepped inside.

It wasn’t the best house. There were a few holes in the ceiling, letting drops of rainwater hit the unfurnished floor at a steady rhythm. V was pretty sure he saw a rat scurry across the floor before they closed the door behind them. The sun was setting and the darkness that settled over the house didn’t make the place look any more appealing.

Dax found a an old cushion lying about and he checked it for bedbugs and other unwelcome creatures before contentedly stretching out on it and emptying their pockets of stolen snack foods. 

“What would you like, V?” Dax asked aloud, no longer worried about the scrutiny of strangers.

“I’d like my body back, thank you very much,” V replied half-heartedly. 

The demon pouted, “You’re no fun.”

If he really wanted to, V could try to take it back by force....but he had walked most of the way here and it was getting _cold…._ and he knew the demon was a lot more tolerant of harsh temperatures. He also figured it didn’t matter too much at the moment; it wasn’t like they were going anywhere anytime soon.

Dax could sense V’s reluctant compliance and smiled as he grabbed a chocolate bar to munch on. V could taste the candy and let the flavor of it ease his troubled mind. At least the demon and him had similar food preferences; it would’ve been an even crueler twist of fate if they didn’t.

Chocolate, V learned, was highly revered by most demons. Apparently, they didn’t have it down in purgatory.

 

“So,” Dax said, “What would you like? Seriously, V….your body is dangerously frail, even for a human’s.”

“The potato chips, I guess.”

Dax obligingly opened the bag and began eating, the taste of greasy salty goodness overtaking their taste buds.

“There was something rather odd about that family,” Dax mused in between bites.

“What about them?” V asked curiously. 

“Not only was that boy a werewolf, but his brother was a vampire.”

V was shocked by this information, “I thought that they were--”

“Enemies? Yes, most of the time they are.”

Dax felt V’s silent hesitation.

“What is it?”

“Wha--what about the shopkeeper?”

“He was human.” 

“Human? But they--they looked like family.

Dax shrugged and didn’t say anything more as he finished off the bag of chips. He merely glanced up at the holes in the ceiling and back at the empty chip bag before going over and filling it with water. 

“What are you doing?” V asked.

“Getting you some water. I forgot to grab a bottle before we left the store.”

“Gross.”

I gotta do something, you’re absolutely parched,” Dax said matter-of-factly.

The taste was weird and V didn’t really like it, but he had to admit that he felt better afterwards.

 

They got comfortable on the old mattress as Dax sighed, “When are you gonna learn that the only way to be successful in life is to lie, V? I could have you living a much better life than this. You wouldn’t have to scrounge around for food or a place to stay. And you could have friends….a family.”

“None of it would be real,” V replied, his voice soft and regretful.

Dax shook his head, “You’re so stubborn.”

“I know.”

“It isn’t in my nature to be good and I don’t know why you even try sometimes,” the demon turned over and closed his eyes.

“You aren’t all bad,” V whispered.

Teardrops trailed down their cheeks and as usual, V didn’t know if it was him or the demon that cried. 

He never asked.

 

V felt Dax slowly drift to sleep and the steady sounds of raindrops eventually lulled him to sleep as well. 

Unfortunately, the comforting sound didn’t really stop the nightmares. Because no matter how hard he tried to lock the memories away and throw away the key, they always came back to him. 

Each and every night.


	5. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil gets stuck in a nightmarish memory.
> 
> *A/N: Please heed the warnings on this one. Just for clarity's sake, this is Virgil's past. This is him pre-demon.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: child abuse, abandonment, sensory deprivation, food mention, sedatives, burns, slight blood mention, dark magic, demons, possesion

_ V had always known that he was different from the other children. _

_ For one thing, other kids were closely supervised by people typically known as parents. It was a concept he didn’t understand very well and he found himself asking about it one day. _

 

_ “Stella?” he asked quietly, hoping not to anger his Keeper. She was busy writing in a very important book that he was not allowed to touch. In fact, he wasn’t allowed to touch most things in Stella’s place and quite frankly, he was too scared to. _

_ She let out a huff of annoyance and answered without pausing in her work, “What do you want?” _

_ “What’s a parent?” _

_ Stella put down her pen and looked him in the eye. He shifted uneasily and she grinned at his obvious discomfort. “A parent,” she spat the word out like a nasty disease, “is something that you don’t have and never will have, my watchful one.” _

_ “I--I don’t understand,” V said, glancing away from her piercing green eyes. _

_ “You don’t need to,” she dismissively waved a hand through the air before going back to her work. _

_ “....but....I want to.” _

_ Her head snapped up from her work once more and she stormed over to the corner where he sat with his sketchpad. He shrank away from her, certain that he was about to be punished for bothering her with his silly questions. Instead, she seemed to consider her options. _

_ “Hmm,"  she tapped her fingers on her chin in thought, "I suppose you’re old enough to understand. Your Natalem is only about a week away….and I think it will be interesting to see how a wakeful vessel like you responds to the situation.” She sighed, “Very well then, I will tell you. But you better not throw a tantrum or I’ll have to give you a timeout in The Room, you understand?” _

_ V quickly nodded his head in agreement. The last thing he wanted was to spend any more time in The Room. _

 

_ “You were brought to me by a young woman, who was seeking my help. Do you know what kind of services I provide to people, V?” _

_ He considered the question carefully, pursing his lips in deep thought. “You--you grant wishes?” _

_ His Keeper chuckled, “In a way, yes. I don’t do it for free, of course. There is always a price for magic.” _

_ “What kinda price did the woman pay?” V hesitantly asked, recalling desperate customers that had given Stella nearly anything and everything they had. _

 

_ “She gave me you.” _

 

_ V gave a dumbfounded stare, “Wa--was she my--?” _

_ “Nope. If she were, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. No, you’d be with the other sleeping vessels.” _

_ “What’s a ‘vessel’ and why do you keep--” _

_ “Shush, my dear. Don’t you want to hear how I came to keep you?” _

_ He went quiet and simply nodded, curious as to why he was different from other kids his age. _

_ “The girl was a pathetic beggar living on the streets. She wanted to be rich, same as every other fool who walks into this shop. So, naturally, I had her sign a contract that promised me her firstborn child. Unfortunately for her, she found that she was unable to have children. It was by some crazy spell of luck that she found you in a trashcan, looking half-dead.”  _

_ His eyes widened in shock at her words and he was clearly upset, “My parents--they didn’t--” _

_ “They didn’t want you? Yes, evidently so. But as they say: ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.’ And you definitely were something special to the woman who found you,” Stella laughed, “The foolish girl said you were like a godsend. Even referred to you as ‘Angel.’” _

_ “Why is that so funny?” V asked, offended. _

_ His Keeper only grinned, “Nevermind all that for now. I think I’ve told you enough.” _

_ “But you didn’t tell me anything!” V protested angrily. “If you wanted me then….doesn’t that make you my parent? Why didn’t my own parents want me? What’s a ‘vessel?’ Why is the name ‘Angel’ so funny to you? If the woman called me that then why do you call me ‘Vigilate’ instead? I don’t understand!” _

_ His Keeper scowled at him, “Why on earth would I ever want a stupid bratty child like you? No, I never wanted to raise you. You were supposed to be of her blood, so that the contract would fully work. If you had been of her blood, then I would have your soul bottled up and neatly sorted with the rest. Instead, I am left with an arrogant little soul that is awake and in control!” She moved forward and abruptly smacked V in frustration. “A ‘vessel’, you stupid child, is a body. And the reason the name ‘Angel’ is just hilarious is because your vessel is meant to be inhabited by a demon as soon as you’re of age and that pesky spirit of yours is broken.”   _

_ He stared up at her, completely horror-stricken. Tears were forming in his eyes and he curled in on himself as he tried to process everything his Keeper had said. _

_ “Oh, don’t you fucking dare! I told you NO temper tantrums!” she got up and snatched her keys off her desk before violently yanking V up by his hair. _

_ “No!” he sobbed louder, trying to pull away. _

_ There was the unmistakable sound of a door creaking open before them and V clung tightly to his Keeper, whimpering an unintelligible string of apologies. Oh god, the darkness and the deafening silence awaited him. Alone. All alone with this new revelation. All alone with his thoughts and his fears and his--his demons. _

_ V dug his nails into his Keeper’s skin, fighting with all his strength to stay in the world. To stay in the light and the color and the music and the warmth.  _

_ Stella screeched at him, grabbing his wrists and pushing him to the floor before slamming the door shut. He screamed and wailed, pounding at the walls until all his energy was drained. Slumped against the door, V struggled to calm his breathing. It was no use making noise in here. Nobody heard it on the outside.  _

_ That was probably why he hated The Room so much….he could die inside and nobody would even know. _

* * *

__

_ He didn’t know how long he waited in the dark. Was it a few hours? A few days? Time ceased to exist in The Room. Most of his time was spent thinking about what his Keeper has said. At first, it was nothing but a flood of sadness and hopelessness. Nobody had wanted him. Maybe this was, and always had been, his destiny. _

_ Shivering in the cold room, he fell asleep and had nightmares of monsters lurking in the dark with him, awaiting their moment to strike. _

_ However, the longer time settled over him in the nothingness, the angrier he became. Because here he was, basically locked inside his own mind. Here he was, being forced to give his life away to some unknown creature. This couldn’t possibly be his fate. Why would he be a watchful and wakeful soul, a ‘vigilate’ as Stella called it? No, it didn’t make any sense. _

_ This wasn’t fair. This wasn’t what he wanted and he wasn’t going to allow it. He’d run away if he had to. Stella wasn’t his mom and she didn’t love him. She was just a witch with ulterior motives. _

_ With those thoughts in mind, V fell asleep again. This time, he fought off the monsters with a sword. _

_ When he awoke the second time, his stomach felt completely empty as if he really had been fighting off monsters. He groaned and rolled over, resisting the urge to knock on the door again. It would be a stupid and fruitless endeavor that would likely make him even more exhausted. Instead, he focused on his breathing. It relaxed him and reminded him that he was still alive, which was something that he needed in that moment. Especially since he was beginning to question where he was. Was he really in The Room? Was he really in control of his body? How did he know that he wasn’t already possessed by a demon? _

_ Nope, he had to stay focused on his breathing. He had to feel that pulse. _

_ It took all of his strength not to start screaming again at that point. So sick of the silence, so sick of the darkness, so sick of his own thoughts. He fidgeted uncomfortably, restlessly tossing and turning until he simply fell asleep again out of sheer boredom. _

_ Time? What time? How long?  _ _ It no longer mattered to him as the door creaked open and the world was revealed to him once more. V almost wanted to protest the sudden brightness, but he could see the smug look on Stella’s face. It had never made much sense to him before, but it was different this time because now he knew. He knew why she was his Keeper, he knew why he didn’t go to school like the other kids, he knew why he didn’t have a real name, he knew why she would sometimes lock him away in darkness until he forgot the sun. _

_ It was all preparation for when he would no longer have a sense of self. He wasn’t meant to have a strong, opinionated mind. He wasn’t meant to be an individual. _

 

_ “Learn your lesson?” she asked, ready to slam the door shut in case he hadn’t. _

_ V quickly nodded as he forced himself to speak. His barely audible voice came out dry and raspy. “Yes, I learned.” _

_ “Good,” she smiled triumphantly, “because I’d hate to lock you in again when your Natalem is so close. Have to keep your spirit weak, but your body strong. Do you know how difficult that is, Vigilate?” _

_ “I couldn’t possibly imagine,” he muttered. _

_ She glared and V could see her pupils narrowing into slits. “I pity the demon that will have to deal with your stubborn spirit.” _

_ V couldn’t help but smirk at that statement. If she expected him to be broken and complaisant now that he knew his fate, well she had another thing coming.  _

_ She led him to the kitchen where the pleasing aroma of food reached his nose before they even entered. His stomach growled in response and once again, he pondered how long he had been in ‘timeout’. It must’ve been longer than he had ever been locked away because the table was piled high with an array of bacon, sausages, eggs, ham, pancakes, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, and chocolate.  _

_ V’s mouth watered and it took all of his willpower not to jump at the food like a ravenous animal. Instead, he turned to Stella with a questioning look, “H--how long--” _

_ “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. You were only in there for about a day. The only reason for all the food, is that I plan on having a special client over later.” _

_ He raised an eyebrow in question and she sighed, “It is confidential business, but I figured I’d let you eat before they get here.” _

_ “Y--you’re not gonna lock me in after I eat, are you?” V hesitated. _

_ She scowled, “If you’re on your best behavior and don’t talk back, I won’t put you on timeout. I expect you to stay in your bedroom, quiet as death.” Stella gestured at the table, “Now hurry up and eat. My guest will be here soon.” _

_ Still confused about why there was so much food, V shrugged and grabbed a cup, filling it with orange juice and guzzling it down. It felt so good after how long he had been in ‘timeout’. He didn’t believe that it had only been for a day. It had to have been longer with how dehydrated he felt.  _

_ Everything tasted amazing and he was thinking that this had to be the best meal he had ever had when he was overcome with a feeling of drowsiness.  _

_ “Hey, Stella. I think I’m gonna--” he was standing up to leave the kitchen when his vision blurred. He blinked a few times, growing more puzzled at his sudden need for sleep. Hadn’t he just taken a nap in The Room? Maybe that had been a while ago, it was so hard to tell after all…. _

_ He glanced back up at his Keeper, realizing that he had been trying to tell her something. Oddly enough, she didn’t look surprised at his unfinished sentence. He frowned, “I’m just gonna take a--a nap if that’s alright with you.” _

_ “Of course, dear,” she grinned. _

_ Something’s wrong, he thought, staring at that grin. Stella looked very pleased with herself.  He struggled to walk out of the kitchen, unsure if she was following him or not. It felt like walking through water, each sluggish step was so exhausting. Maybe if he stopped, he would just float. Yes, that sounded nice. He’d just let the waves carry him to his bed. _

_ His eyelids fluttered shut and he let himself fall forward, something….or someone catching him before he hit the ground. _

* * *

__

_ At first V thought he was still locked in The Room. If he was, dreaming about food wouldn’t have surprised him all that much. _

_ But as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, it didn’t take him long to realize that there were candles flickering in his peripheral. V moved to sit up, only to find that he couldn’t. _

_ The feel of cool metal, lay heavy on his wrists. Growing more and more uneasy, he struggled to move his legs and found that they were restrained as well. _

 

_ “Don’t be afraid, Vigilate. It’ll all be over soon.” _

_ He stopped for a moment, scanning the room for his Keeper, “Stella? What’s going on? W--why can’t I move?” _

_ “Shush now, dear. Tonight at midnight, it is your Natalem,” she answered. _

_ “You mean my birthday? You were never concerned about it before….” _

_ Suddenly, he could see her. She stood in the corner of the room, her eyes glittering like a cat’s. _

_ “It will be celebrated this year.” _

_ V shook his head, “No thank you. I’d hate to be a bother.” _

_ She laughed, “You won’t be a bother. I’m gonna make quite certain of that.” _

_ His heart sank and he was filled with dread at what was to come. She had spoken of a day when he was to be possessed. This couldn’t possibly be the day, could it? _

_ “I’m sorry for being a bad child. I never meant to be. Stella, please don’t make me do this. You can throw me in The Room if you want. I’ll be good, I promise. I’ll do whatever you ask,” he begged. _

_ “Nope, you aren’t getting out of this. I’ve kept you long enough. And it’s about time you become someone else’s problem….” she paused, her eyes glancing down at a glint of silver on her wrist, “Ah, yes. Midnight. The ceremony can finally begin.” _

_ “I don’t understand. What ceremony?!” _

_ Without answering, she moved forward and placed a gag over his mouth, ignoring his muffled protests. She then strode to the fireplace behind him where he could hear the faint crackle of flames and the sound of metal scraping against stone. Then she stood above him, grinning as she held a glowing hot iron with a strange symbol. _

_ He strained against the shackles that held him in place, but she grabbed his wrist and the smell of burning flesh filled the room as V let out a smothered scream of pain. The smell of his own scorched skin making him queasy and faint.  _

_ And it happened again and again, each brand just as scalding as the next until both his arms were throbbing and numb. V didn’t think it could get any worse, but when his eyes hesitantly opened again, he saw what he assumed to be the witch’s final blow. _

_ It was bigger than the rest and it was aimed directly over his heart. _

_ His pulse was drumming loud in his ears as he blinked away the tears that had escaped him. Fighting and fighting against the chains that held him, he whimpered as the heat neared his chest.  _

_ Stella was saying something….some sort of incantation in Latin, but V could only focus on the flare of pain in his chest, biting his tongue until he tasted the metallic saltiness of blood in his mouth. He expected it to end after a few minutes like the others had, but his Keeper held it there. The metal digging deeper and deeper into his flesh. He feared that it would soon pierce his heart and that it would be the death of him. _

_ He hardly noticed when the heat was pulled away, the damage so critical that the iron’s absence brought him no relief. _

 

_ "The ceremony is complete, my watchful one," Stella's voice grated in his ear. "The next time you wake, it will not be you who wakes. This will no longer be your life to live." _

_ Then there was a sharp blow to his skull and the next thing he knew, someone was shaking him awake. _

 

__ "Hey, get up!"  
  


_ It hurt. In every sense of the word, everything hurt. _

 

_ "V!" _

 

_ He groaned and turned over, ignoring the voice in his head. _

 

"V, wake up! You're having the nightmare again."

 

He finally opened an eye, daring a glimpse at his surroundings.

Dax's hazy form hovered above him, concern etching his features. V sat up and rubbed at his face, shaking the remnants of the memory away from his mind. He glanced at his demon and chose not to comment on the glistening droplets at the edge of those eyes. Those strange eyes, one black as night and the other as yellow as the sun.

"What time is it?" he asked as if he didn't already know. 

Dax smirked at him and rolled his eyes, "The devil's hour."

"Of course."


	6. Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan worries that he's in over his head. Remy worries that his brother is better off without him. Roman worries about the both of them.
> 
> *A/N: This chapter uses excerpts from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I tried to write it in a way that makes sense to someone who hasn't read it. Hopefully it's okay.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: past emotional abuse, blood, post traumatic stress, flashbacks.

 

_“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”_

* * *

 

Logan would be lying if he said that he hadn’t considered family to be a dream of his at one point or another….but that was a long time ago, a time when he had believed in the impossible.

True, he had never really been one for fairytales. He was always too curious to simply enjoy their wonder. Growing up, the people around him would tire of his endless questions, pushing him into timeout and telling him to shut his mouth. After years of this, Logan stopped reading fairytales altogether, vying for pages full of fact rather than fiction. Nobody would’ve ever used his name and the word magic in the same sentence. It was unthinkable, absolutely ludicrous.

Yet here he was, struggling to decide how best to raise a sassy vampire and an energetic werewolf. Really, what even was his life?

His house was no longer a quiet study space. There was boisterous laughter and loud arguments that echoed throughout and for once, the place didn’t feel so empty.

He thought that it would’ve taken a longer span of time for him to get used to the clamor and yet….he found himself feeling on edge without the noise. The deafening quiet would wake him up sometimes and he’d end up checking on Roman and Remy, afraid that they were hurt in some manner. He’d never admit that there was another, less logical fear that ran through his groggy mind each night. The fear that finding them had been nothing more than a dream.

Logan would shake away that thought and convince himself that it didn’t matter if it had been a dream or not. It would simply mean that he’d go back to life as it had been before, without the worry of trying to take care of two children. He wasn’t equipped to be a parent anyways. He was perfectly fine living alone. He was meant to.

And yet every time he cautiously peered into the guest room and found two red eyes, glinting softly in the darkness and staring curiously back at him, he was relieved.  

Remy was almost always awake when he went to check up on them, usually confused as to why Logan was awake in the middle of the night too.

“Just….too quiet. I don’t--I don’t really know actually,” he’d reply.

The vampire would narrow his eyes, not quite believing.

 

* * *

 

_“‘I am looking for friends. What does that mean--tame?’_

_‘It is an act too often neglected,’ said the fox. ‘It means to establish ties.’_

_'To establish ties?’_

_‘Just that,’ said the fox. ‘To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world….”_

 

* * *

One night, Roman begged Logan to read a book he had taken home from the bookshop. It was _The Little Prince_ by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, a story that Logan had never actually read before. Sure, he had heard of it and knew that it was popular and had great reviews, but he had never thought it to be pertinent to his knowledge.

Despite this, Logan started reading a few chapters to Roman that night. He was beginning to realize why Remy sometimes called the other ‘princey.’

“Roman?”

Logan and Roman both startled slightly at the sound, turning to see Remy standing in the doorway.

Ro smiled, “Come join us, Rem. Logan is reading our favorite book.”

“So I’ve heard,” Remy crossed his arms, a scowl on his face.

“Is something wrong?” Logan asked. He pushed his glasses up his nose and looked at the fledgling expectantly, concerned that maybe he wasn’t reading the book with enough energy or emotion. He wasn’t exactly a fairytale expert and perhaps he was ruining the magic of the story.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes,” Remy hissed defensively, “I’m fine. Look, I’m just--I’m gonna go watch some TV.”

The vampire stormed out of the room, leaving a bewildered Logan and Roman.

“What was that about?”

The prince looked guilty, “I think he might be a bit jealous….”

Logan placed a bookmark in the novel and set it aside, giving Roman his full attention. “Should I talk to him? Or do you think it would be better if you did?” he asked gently.

Roman’s face twisted in thought, “We should both talk to him, I think.”

“Okay.”

 

* * *

 

_“I did not know how to reach him, how to catch up with him….The land of tears is so mysterious.”_

* * *

 

 

Remy scolded himself for being so stupid. Why did it matter so much to him? He should be happy that Roman was finally replacing him with someone else.

Logan seemed like a nice person and once Remy was one hundred percent sure the nerd could be trusted, he could leave. His brother would be in caring hands, safe from harm and judgement.

He should be relieved. No more vengeful vampires. No more hate-filled parents. No more attempts to purify and purge.

Roman would be safe. So much safer without him.

The flood of tears wouldn’t stop raining down his face though. They couldn’t wash away the vision of Roman growing up without him, eventually forgetting him. Roman would read the novel that had gotten them through so much. He’d read it and forget how he was once The little prince and Remy was once the fox. He’d forget about how they used to scoff together at the ignorant adults that saw with their eyes and not their heart. It was them against the world, but it was unfair. It was unfair to keep Roman in a world that he didn’t belong. The prince left the fox in the end because that’s how it was supposed to be and that’s just what Roman would do. Remy couldn’t blame him for it. He had no right to.

It was his fault. All his fault.

He dropped his head in his hands, shuddering at the memories.

The memories….

 

_He was a few blocks away from the house when his heightened hearing kicked in and he heard a frightened voice calling his name and then a panicked scream._

_Realizing it was Roman, Remy’s heart began to pound in his chest as he took off at lightning quick speed, his feet barely touching the cement as he prayed to whatever gods there were that his brother be unharmed._

_His mind was racing. It could just be another one of the prince’s nightmares, he thought hopefully. He would get there and comfort him with a bedtime story and a cup of water and everything would be fine. His hopes were dashed; however, as he neared the house._

_A trail of blood droplets painted the front porch and his parents stood at the door, his father looking murderous and his mother in hysterics._

_She pointed an accusing finger at Remy, “Where were you? Out and about with the other monsters? I know you had something to do with this! What did you do with my pure and innocent child!?”_

_His father simply glared daggers at him as his mother continued to screech loudly, her grating voice waking up the neighborhood. Windows were beginning to brighten as concerned neighbors peered out into the night to see what was the matter._

_Remy shrank away from the cruel accusations, but he had no time to simply stand there and be scolded. Not when Roman was still out there._

_The vampire strained his ears, but he could no longer hear his brother’s voice. It seemed he would have to rely on the scent of Roman’s blood. Remy grimaced at the thought. Yes, he was a natural-born fledgling and his bloodlust was easier to control than other vampires', but that didn’t mean that the aroma was comfortably tolerated. A trail of his sibling’s blood shouldn’t have him fascinated and entranced, it should have him feeling sick to his stomach. Nonetheless, he let the fragrance of fresh blood overtake his senses and he closed his eyes for a moment as he inhaled, a new scent reaching his awareness, one that took him a moment to recognize. A pungent earthy smell, warm-blooded and not quite human. He scowled when he realized._

_Werewolves._

_And Remy was no fool. He knew as well as anyone that werewolves did not attack inside one’s home for no reason._

_Leaving his parents behind and ignoring the obscenities his mother was shrieking at him, Remy quickly made his way to the nearby woods to get his brother back. He didn’t know who was responsible, but one thing was certain…._

_they were going to regret their entire pathetic existence by the time Remy was through with them._

-

He was suddenly startled out of his thoughts as warm arms wrapped around him. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know who it was.

“Rem? What’s wrong?” the prince’s voice was soft and concerned.

Remy wanted nothing more to live in this moment and to forget, but the memories wouldn't leave him. It was like the past was stronger than the present and the future combined. And he couldn't escape it, his thoughts a dizzying blur of guilt and panic.

-

_For one agonizing moment, the fledgling didn’t hear a pulse. All he saw was the liquid leaking out of Roman’s wounds and dribbling down the prince’s skin in erratic streaks like a scarlet stream that kept breaking apart to become separate, but interconnected rivers of red. The crimson fluid was everywhere, eventually cascading together to form a ruby-colored pool at Roman’s side._

_Remy fell to his knees beside his brother’s body, his hands hovering uselessly over the bitemarks on each of the prince’s arms._

_They dragged him here, he realized with flaring anger. They dragged him, kicking and screaming and scared out of his mind._

_The vampire clenched his fists and glared at the wounds, blinking back tears. His throat felt tight and raw as he wondered what he was going to do without his brother’s endearing smile and unquestioning trust. Remy’s life would be empty without the prince there to remind him of the good in the world._

_A small wheezing gasp for air caught the fledgling’s attention and he quickly wiped the droplets away from his eyes, hardly daring to believe. He listened carefully and there it was, like the most precious treasure in all the world, his brother’s heartbeat._

_With unsteady hands and eyes blurred by pesky teardrops, Remy lifted Roman up into his arms and carried him home._

_-_

“I’m right here, Rem. Look at me”

Remy opened his eyes, finally realizing how tightly he’d been holding onto Roman.

He reluctantly loosened his hold and glanced away from the prince’s worried gaze. Remy’s face was wet with tears and he hated to have his younger brother see him like this. He could feel the beginnings of a dull headache taking root in the center of his forehead and all he wanted to do was go to sleep and forget about the pain he had caused.

“Are you okay?”

Remy shook his head.

Roman eyed him with sad eyes, “This isn’t just about the book, is it? Y--you started thinking about that night.”

The fledgling didn’t answer, choosing not to meet his brother’s eyes.

The prince took his silence as confirmation and sighed heavily before giving him another firm hug. “We’ve been over this, it’s not your fault. How could you have possibly known?”

“It doesn’t matter. I should have--I should have left as soon as I knew I was different, but I was stupid and weak and selfish. I made them--I made them _hate_ you the way they _hated_ me,” his lip quivered and he buried his face in the fabric of his brother’s shirt.

“If they don’t love me now then they never loved me and it’s as simple as that. I saw the way they treated you, Rem. They treated you like the scum of the earth and treated me as if I were gold, but the moment I turned different, they abandoned me just the same. They don’t know what love is. They see with their eyes, not their hearts.”

“You’re so smart, Ro. I don’t know how you ever got to be so smart with a brother like me.”

Roman ran a hand through his hair. “I learned it all from you, ya know. You’re the one who always reassured me that not all monsters are evil. You’re the one--” he chuckled, “--you’re the one who told me that monsters don’t hide in closets because all the gay kids kicked them out.”

Remy couldn’t help but smile at the memory and how Roman had giggled about that for days.

-

_“How did they kick the monsters out?” he had asked._

_The vampire had leaned forward, a conspiratorial grin on his face. “Well most monsters moved out once they were asked because everyone knows gays are tired of putting up with other people’s bullshit....”_

_“Remy,” Roman had laughed, “You’re not supposed to cuss.”_

_I’m not supposed to turn into a bat and fly to Starbucks either.”_

_“Remy!”_

_“Okay, okay. So the gays have this secret superpower.”_

_The prince had jumped up and down in excitement, “What is it? What is it?”_

_“The rainbow.”_

_“The rainbow?”_

_“Yep. See, everyone is a unique color. A beautiful color that nobody has ever seen! But there are people out there who believe that everyone should be only certain colors, the ones that they know and understand. And that’s the superpower the closeted kids all have, they have unique colors and together they are stronger. Together, they become a rainbow and they can defeat all the monsters!”_

 

_Remy had taught Roman not to be afraid of the monsters and he wasn’t. He would often pretend to be a knight, not just a prince. He’d slay all evil and Remy was his secret weapon. “What better way to defeat evil monsters than with my vampire brother!” he’d say. Their parents did not share the same sentiment. The moment they had known Remy wasn’t like other kids, they had started treating him like muck stuck on the bottom of their shoes. When Roman, had come along it was like their prayers had been answered. Remy had tried hard not to like Roman, he really had, but the baby prince had smiled at him and asked for upsies, reaching those little arms and making grabby hands. And Remy’s heart had melted._

_His parents, of course, had not allowed their pure child anywhere near the unwanted creature in their home. For in their eyes, Remy was not their son. He wasn't even human._

_But what did any of that matter when Remy had a little brother who didn’t shrink away from his red eyes and fanged smile? When the adults weren’t looking, Rem would transform into a bat and fly in loops as a small Roman giggled and squealed happily._

_As they both grew older; however, Remy began to realize just how much his family would be better off without him. Despite not knowing where to go, he started to plan on running away. The night he had his bags packed and he was sneaking to the back door, he heard the sound of soft footsteps and turned to find his brother, who was only five at the time, curiously following him._

_“Where are you going?” he had asked._

_“Nowhere special,” Remy had replied. “What are you doing out of bed?”_

_“I had a nightmare and I wanted to sleep in your room.”_

_Remy had shifted uncomfortably, “Why don’t you sleep with mom and dad?”_

_The prince had looked up at him and damn those puppy-dog eyes. “They don’t like it when I bother them with silly nightmares. Besides, I wanna sleep in your room.”_

_The vampire had sighed, “I’m sorry, Princey. I gotta go.”_

_“Where?”_

_“I don’t know, but I can’t stay here.”_

_“Did I--did I do something wrong?” Roman had stared up at him, ready to cry and Remy’s heart broke._

_“No, no you didn’t do anything wrong. I love you very much Ro….always have and always will, but I’m not a good enough brother or a good enough son to stay here. I’m not human and I don’t belong with you guys. You’ll be better off without me.”_

_“But I don’t want you to leave!” the prince had suddenly wrapped his arms around Remy’s waist and refused to let go._

_“I--I have to.”_

_“I think you’re a good enough brother, I don’t care if you’re not human! I want you to stay and tell stories and steal me hot chocolates from Starbucks and play knight and sing Disney songs and--and--everything!” Roman had cried, his hands tightly clutching Remy’s shirt and jacket._

_“Shh, okay. Alright, Ro. You win. I won’t leave, but….I can’t stay here forever. One day, you’re gonna want me gone too.”_

_“No, I won’t!”_

_“Shh!”_

_Roman had lowered his voice to a whisper, “You’re my brother and I don’t ever want you gone. It’s like what the fox said to the little prince in the bedtime story, ‘You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.’ And we’re friends, so we’ve ‘tamed’ each other, Rem. You can’t just leave like the little prince in the story did! I’m the little prince, not you! ”_

_And Remy’s resolve had crumbled. He couldn’t bring himself to leave his brother behind. He figured that, no matter how much it would shatter his heart, he would only leave when his brother asked him too. For he was certain that it would happen at some point or another._

-

Back in present-day, Roman waved his hand in front of Remy’s face. “Hello? Earth to Remy, are you still here?”

“I’m still here,” the vampire replied. _I shouldn’t be, but I’m still here._

Roman was quiet for a moment, “Are you gonna tell me what you’ve been thinking about?”

With slow surfacing awareness, Remy finally glanced around the room, remembering where they were and how far they had come. None of it seemed real to him….no longer being in a house where the adults didn’t constantly shove him or scream at him for being in the way or exclude him from family dinners or completely ignore his existence altogether….no longer being on the street where each person walking by made him wary or where the sun lit up the world in its fiery heat and made him feel blind and helpless to protect his brother. He was no longer in that place, yet he didn’t see how this moment of calm would last.

He tried to let the feeling of safety completely sink in, but there was a part of his heart that wouldn’t let it. There was a part of his heart that was still in that place, holding his bleeding brother’s unconscious body in his arms and feeling that faint heartbeat like a flickering flame on the brink of being snuffed out forever.   

Trying his best to discard that haunting memory from his mind, Remy forced himself into the present where he finally noticed Logan sitting across the room looking uncertain and out of place in his own home. The nerd glanced at him before nervously looking away. Remy quirked an eyebrow in question and Roman seemed to follow his gaze.

“Oh, Logan wanted to apologize for temporarily taking your place as storyteller. He didn’t realize that it might make you angry,” the prince smiled sheepishly, “I guess I didn’t realize either, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I’m not angry at either of you, I just--” Remy bit his lip, unsure of what else to say.

Logan cleared his throat from across the room, he stood as if to leave. “If you are uncomfortable in my presence, I can leave. I do not mean to intrude upon your privacy. I was simply hoping, as Roman said, to apologize if I have previously overstepped any boundaries. I understand that I am probably nothing more than a stranger to you and that you and your brother share a past that I have no right to know of."

The fledgling smirked in spite of the circumstances. There was something endearing about the nerd’s sincere, but awkward admission. He was starting to understand why Logan seemed fidgety and out of sorts; this must’ve all been new terrain to the solitary shopkeeper. Remy’s observations were confirmed when Logan spoke again.

“I must apologize, I am not used to--I am not certain the correct course of action when one is feeling considerably despondent,” the man suddenly waved his hands in slight panic, “Not that there’s anything wrong with what you are feeling! From what little I know of your past circumstances I can ascertain that you must have some form of post traumatic stress. I--” Logan shut his mouth, second-guessing his words and actions.

“Hey, teach dude?”

Logan lifted his head in question, “Hmm?”

“Chill.”

“Mhmm,” he nodded.

Roman and Remy smirked at one another, the vampire beckoning Logan to join them on the couch. It was going to be difficult to explain all of what was going on in his head, but they deserved to know that it wasn’t their fault.

“I may have overreacted when I saw the story you guys were reading. It’s just--I didn’t expect to be replaced so fast.

"Whoa, hold on a sec. You think that I’m _replacing_ you?” the prince asked with an incredulous expression.

“I mean--” Remy looked down at his hands, “That’s what you’re supposed to do, remember? When we were little and you caught me sneaking out and ready to run away, you wanted me to stay….but you were so young and naive….”

“I was no such thing,” Roman indignantly crossed his arms.

Rem smirked and quickly remedied his statement, the small smile falling from his face as he explained. “What I’m saying is that you couldn’t have understood the dangers of living with a monster like me. I taught you not to fear them and not to judge them right away, but I was wrong to do that. I made you curious and trusting, two traits that could’ve easily killed you.”

“You’re still feeling guilty about that night.”

“You nearly _died_ , Ro.”

“But I didn’t!”

“But you _could’ve_ and it would’ve been my fault! I should’ve left before anything bad happened to you, but I didn’t want to leave you! You were--you’re the only family I got and so I stayed, I promised myself I’d stay until you hated me just the same as everyone else. I stayed and your childhood, maybe even your life, was ruined because of _me_.”

“You didn’t ruin anything,” Roman protested, but Remy held up a hand.

“Look, you have a chance--a chance at a normal life now and I think it’s good that you and Logan are friends. Once I know for sure that you are safe and happy, I can leave and prevent any further danger from coming to you.”

“Remy!” the prince glared, “What about the quote from the story? Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“It didn’t mean a whole lot to the little prince in the story," Rem crossed his arms, "He up and left the fox and it shouldn’t mean a whole lot to you either because just like that boy, you’re destined for greater things and the fox is not a part of those things and neither am I.”

Roman gasped, ready to object, but then Logan spoke. His calm, no-nonsense voice suddenly made the both of them feel childish in their bickering.

“You are quite mistaken in why the little prince leaves the fox. The bond he had formed with the creature had meant a great deal to him, but the fox was a friend he had made on his travels. While he loved the fox, the little prince was greatly missing the flower he had grown up with.”

“And what the heck does that mean?” Remy pouted, hating the way he was being corrected. Didn’t Logan understand that they were going to be better off without a vampire’s presence? All he did was attract danger like a moth to a flame. Why was the teacher dude all of a sudden interested in fairytales anyway?

“I’ll read you a passage from the novel and then I’ll let Roman explain because I think he knows where I’m going with this,” Logan pushed his glasses up his nose and glanced at Roman who nodded with understanding.

Remy sighed, was he really so stupid that he didn’t comprehend a children’s book?

Without further comment, Logan began to read. _“_ _Of course, an ordinary passerby would think my rose looked just like you. But my rose, all on her own, is more important than all of you together, since she's the one I've watered. Since she's the one I put under glass, since she's the one I sheltered behind the screen. Since she's the one for whom I killed the caterpillars (except the two or three butterflies). Since she's the one I listened to when she complained, or when she boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing at all. Since she's my rose.”_

The vampire groaned, “Okay? So the little prince cared for his rose and that’s why he left the fox, I get it. But what does that have to do with me and Roman?”

“Because you’ve had it wrong all these years,” Roman took his brother’s hand, “You aren’t the fox, you’re the rose.”

“I--what?”

“The fox was a friend, but the rose was family and you’re my family, Rem.”

Remy shook his head, “I’m not quite as helpless as the rose.”

Logan chuckled softly and Roman grinned, “No, you’re not. Maybe we had it wrong this whole time. Maybe I’m the rose and you're the prince, but I don’t think the rose is as helpless as you make it out to be. She survived long enough for the prince to return, I’m sure of it.”

“That’s the part the story never tells you,” Remy pointed out.

“No, but it’s really up to us, isn’t it?”

The vampire smiled and ruffled Princey’s hair, “Are you sure you aren’t related to Teach here? Because you’re really smart, Ro.”

Roman giggled, “Nope, I get it all from you.”

They hugged each other and Remy ended up pulling Logan into it, who was quite surprised to be included.

“You know, Remy….I wouldn’t have wanted you to leave either,” Logan spoke, his voice slightly muffled by the group hug.

“No?”

“You both fell into my life quite unexpectedly and I never would’ve imagined something like this, not in my wildest dreams….but I must say that now--now I can’t imagine my life without you….either of you.”


	7. Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil's birthday is coming up and he can't wait for the day to pass, but Dax tries to convince him that he doesn't have anything to worry about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: past child abuse, post traumatic stress, food mention, demons, possession

3 am.

The Devil’s Hour.

While Mendacius still held some form of control over V’s body, he was somewhat separate from him right now. The spell that bound them together was subdued.

This was the only time when demons could be clearly seen by mortals. It was the reason V could catch a glimpse of his demon every now and then. 

Dax appeared mostly human, except for a few facial exceptions….and the clawed hands and sharp teeth of course. Viridescent scales masked one side of his face and his eyes were distinctly otherworldly. On V, the eyes were typical of any other demonic creature, a pure black that coated the entirety of the soul’s windows. Not every demon was the same though. Not really. 

But concealing demonic differences was a manner of protecting one’s identity and of easily fitting in with other creatures of havoc. It was only within this hour that V could plainly see Dax’s eyes, one dark ebony and the other bright gold like fire.

“Your nightmares are getting worse again,” Dax frowned at him, “Could this have something to do with your Natalem coming up?”

V scowled, “I was tossed in a trashcan and given to a demon witch on the day I was born. Every birthday since then has been absolutely horrific, of course the nightmares are getting worse.”

“That can’t be true. Every single one?” the demon asked in disbelief. “You had to have had at least  _ one  _ good birthday.”

“Nope,” V leaned back, trying to appear relaxed. He was unwilling to admit just how shaken up he was about the nightmare. The thought of his birthday looming ahead only made him more on edge, dislodging memories that he would rather remain buried.

“Stella told me that she knew I was gonna be a handful when I somehow broke a bottle full of flight dust on my first birthday. She said I wouldn’t stop floating for like a week.”

“That--that’s hilarious, actually,” Dax grinned.

V smirked, a bit of his tension draining away. “Okay, yeah. A flying baby does sound pretty funny, but it gets worse. At age two, Stella gave me a transformative potion mixed in with my milk.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound _too_ bad--”

“I drank the whole bottle, Dax. She still has a full collection of scales and feathers from me, says it was an interesting experiment. I never did get my hair back to normal, but I guess it could be worse. I mean, at least it’s my favorite color,” V thoughtfully ran a hand through his purple locks. “And then there was my third Natalem when Stella accidentally broke a bottled hex known as _ Blinding Dust  _ off of her desk. She evacuated the room, but forgot me!”

Dax shifted uncomfortably, “Oh….”

“The hex was designed to go straight for the eyes and its effects lasted for a month. I still have the dark coloring underneath my eyes because of it.”

“I honestly just thought that was fashion statement the first time I met you.”

V laughed, “It suits me, doesn’t it? I think I actually would’ve been okay with all of that if she hadn’t started locking me in The Room when I turned four.

“Look, I still don’t think your birthday is bad luck--”

“When I was five, she tested her growth serum on a spider,” V interrupted.

Dax shuddered, “how big--?”

“About the size of the average car.”

“Oh dear. I guess I can see why you’d hate it, but--”

“And age six, she broke open a bottle of storms inside the house on purpose because she wanted me to get over my fear of thunder.”

“These things are  _ her _ fault, not yours!” the demon protested.

V shook his head, “I’m not meant to be happy, Dax.”

“She has you brainwashed, V. You’ve told me yourself. I remember you saying, on your seventh Natalem….when you asked for a dog, she made sure to get the most vicious one. At age eight, she got you a bouquet of flowers that made you break out in hives.”

“She said that that was an accident.”

Dax rolled his eyes, “You really think a thousand-year-old witch somehow made the mistake of giving you poisonous plants.”

“No,” V sighed.

“Stella wanted to make sure that you hated life. I assure you that every disastrous birthday you ever had was more than likely her doing. I know you can’t stand the memory of what happened on your ninth one, but we aren’t there anymore. She can’t hurt you anymore.”

“If what you say is true, then why is it that every moment she or the police have been the closest to finding us, it has been on my birthday? How do you explain that?”

Dax sighed, “I’m sure that it’s just mere coincidence. Nothing bad is going to happen this year.”

“Yeah and that’s because we’re staying in this time.”

“Oh c’mon, V.”

V shook his head stubbornly, “Cursed or not, I am not about to take any chances.”

_ “Please.” _

_ “No.” _

“But--”

“I said no. Dax, promise me you aren’t going to try anything stupid.”

“ _ Fine. _ I promise you I won’t do anything stupid.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re no fun,” the demon huffed in annoyance.

* * *

Within the course of the next few days, V refused to go anywhere.

“You’re being ridiculous,” Dax informed him, “It’s been a year since we last ran into one of her servants and that was states away from where we are now.”

But V knew it wasn’t that simple, the witch had servants all over the world and she was certainly still searching for them. They were a special case with a heavy bounty on their head. It had been centuries since a demon had disregarded orders, and even longer since a ‘vessel’ was strong enough to fight back possession. Knowing Stella, she would want to dissect them and see what made them tick.

V shivered at the thought and he was unable to shield it from Dax’s prying mind. The demon jumped at the sudden image and his tone softened, “That isn’t going to happen.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” V shook their head, “But I think the odds are lessened if we just stay in for the next day or so. I have a feeling that she has a way of finding us easier and I think it has something to with the day we were linked.”

V felt Dax slump a bit in defeat, “You’re probably right.”

The demon stopped arguing with him after that and they spent the next few days carving art into the walls of the abandoned building. V couldn’t sleep very well, his concerns about being found were growing and he found himself more and more on edge as new possibilities popped into his mind. He felt restless and unsettled, unable to sleep for fear of nightmares. He held tight to the switchblade that Dax had insisted they carry with them in case of emergencies. 

Dax stayed surprisingly quiet during this time and V was both grateful and uneasy about it. Usually, the demon didn’t know when to shut up.

Agitated, V dug the blade into the wall once more, fighting to keep his heavy eyes from falling shut. He had to be prepared for any and all danger.

* * *

* * *

_ Does V even realize what he’s drawing? _ Dax wondered as he watched the anxious boy’s frantic movements. If he didn’t know any better, the demon would say that V was possessed by someone other than him. The thought made Dax smirk a bit, but whatever amusement he found in the situation was swiftly dashed away as V came closer and closer to finishing his drawing. He inwardly cringed as the face from the boy’s nightmares became more definite.

_ He hasn’t slept in days, he’s bound to fall asleep at some point,  _ the demon concluded. 

It might take awhile longer, but Mendacius was perfectly capable of waiting. V was a strange mortal and the demon had trouble understanding him at times, but they were sorta kinda friends. Maybe.

Whatever. Dax was going to make sure he had a good birthday this year and he wasn’t about to let some bossy old witch come in and ruin things. Besides, tomorrow was technically the demon’s birthday too, right? He was summoned and born into a new body and going by that logic, he should have a say in how they spent it. So once V was exhausted enough, they were going to go treat themselves to some chocolate.

V wouldn’t even know they left until he woke up. And Dax would be super, ultra careful. Cunning stealth was his specialty, his name wasn’t Mendacius for nothing!

Sure, his attempts at stealing a gift the last two years had been nearly unsuccessful, but V had fought with him the whole time. This year would be different. He’d be in and out before the mortal even knew what was going on. Piece of cake!

-

Just as the demon had predicted, V’s eyelids grew heavy and his movements slowed. Glimmers of sunlight were beginning to illuminate the broken house, lessening the place’s foreboding atmosphere. And the glow of the sun glinted off of the knife that V still held, irritating the boy’s sleep-deprived eyes further. He rubbed at them with his free hand, trying to rid himself of the fatigue. He had to stay awake in case the witch found them. Day or night, it didn’t matter. They were still in danger and he needed to keep his hold steady, his eyes open, and his ears alert. He couldn’t sleep. He _ wouldn’t _ sleep. Not until the day was over.

Twenty-four hours. Twenty-four measly hours in which he would have to force himself awake.

It would’ve been simple if he had actually slept the night before, but he had been on edge ever since the nightmare, and now he was simply running on anxiety and persistence. It didn’t matter how determined he was to stay awake, sleep was a stubborn and siren-like inclination that weighed on the mind. When one fights against sleep, they are sure to be knocked out eventually.

-

Dax felt V slowly drifting in and out of consciousness, their grip loosening on the knife they held until it slipped through their fingers. Their head nodded slowly, only drifting back into awareness to stop themselves before they fell forward off the bed. It wasn’t until Dax gently nudged V to lay down, that the boy fully relaxed, heavy-lidded eyes closing as his soul’s influence weakened enough for the demon to take the lead.

Dax hesitated a moment, feeling a bit bad for betraying his trust like this. Ugh, feelings were so annoying. Demons weren’t supposed to feel guilt, especially not for their vessels. The rules had been simple enough to follow the first few times Dax had had the good fortune to be released from purgatory, but the other vessels had been different than V. Despite being mostly restrained due to blood pacts and all that, the demon could still feel bits and pieces of emotions and thoughts that made their way from the body’s rightful host. Mortal souls really hated him and he couldn’t blame them, not really. He knew what it was like to be nothing more than a slave to others, but the emotions still hurt. It was one thing to be tormented, but another thing to become the tormentor.

Most demons relished in the feeling of superiority. After being treated as inferior by the ones in charge, this was their chance to take back some dignity and to make a name for themselves. But Dax had never really enjoyed the screams of the tortured or the pain of the innocent. He would never admit that in the presence of his elders though. It was much easier to lie.

It wasn’t until he met V, that he felt something more than hate and fear, something beyond the horror of being possessed. V had something that the other repressed souls didn’t have.

Hope….

and strangely enough….curiosity.

V was  _ curious _ about the monster. He was just as curious as he was afraid, but he didn’t  _ hate _ Dax. He hated the idea of giving his life away.

Well, Dax could respect that. So for once, the demon that was known for deception, told the truth. He broke the rules and  _ spoke _ with the mortal he was inhabiting. Not to taunt or scare into submission, but because….well, maybe it was difficult to make friends in Hell.

So yeah, Dax didn’t like betraying the trust of the only person who seemed to believe that a demon was capable of being good, but he tried to remind himself that this was for the best. V had been locked away too many times by someone who didn’t care. He had fought to live, but he was locking himself away again, this time out of fear. Perhaps V didn’t know how to be alive anymore. Dax was going to fix that. No more hiding in the dark.

With a burst of determination, Dax carefully moved V’s sleeping spirit aside, hoping that the boy wouldn’t have any disturbing nightmares. 

The demon picked up the knife that V had dropped and pocketed it just in case he came across any of the demon witch’s servants. A dead vessel sent the monsters back to whence they’d come. He really didn’t want to come across any others. It only reminded him that he was a traitor and that he’d inevitably have to face punishment. It would be forever before he’d be able to see the light again, but that was why he had to make this life count. It wasn’t just his anymore.

Dax opened the backdoor of the abandoned house, sparing one last glance at where V had etched Stella’s cold uncaring eyes into the walls. He grimaced, thinking that maybe they shouldn’t return to this place. He didn’t like having that face watching them.

He didn’t know where else they should go, but he’d figure it out. They’d be safe. That was one promise he didn’t intend to ever break.

With those thoughts in mind, the demon exited their little place of refuge.

 

The brisk morning air welcomed them like a sure sign of success. Dax still reveled in the novelty of Earth and what it felt like to be human.

_ Today isn’t about you,  _ he reminded himself as he headed towards a bustling street full of various shops that were just opening up for the day.  _ Now, what would V like? _

For the last two years, the demon had gotten him rather simple gifts. He had ~~stolen~~ found a drawing pad and a pack of pencils the first time. Then a CD player and earbuds the second time. V didn’t like stealing, but Dax could usually assure him that they were merely borrowing. Of course V didn’t really believe that, but he tended to give away his art to other children anyway. As for CDs, he couldn’t bring himself to argue with the demon. Dax knew music made both their lives a bit more bearable. They hid their prized possessions away in a place that only they knew. The only things they carried with them were tools for survival. It was safer that way.

Dax regarded the shops in front of him, thinking deeply. V’s memories were flooding in his mind again and he worried that the mortal was sleeping fitfully again. And then one of the thoughts sparked an idea within him as he spotted a restaurant across the street.

_ The Divine Diner,  _ he smirked at the irony of the name. This might not really count as a present, but everybody deserves a birthday treat of some sort, right? Dax wondered if the diner served cake. If they did, he hoped there was chocolate.

He peered through the windows of the restaurant, noticing with relief that there were no customers inside.  _ It must not be open yet. _

He couldn’t believe his luck. Glancing around to make sure that nobody was watching, Dax slipped into the alleyway nearby and made his way around to the back of the building where he put on a dark mouth mask and pulled up their hood to conceal their identity, just in case.

He scanned the area for any alarm devices before heading to the backdoor and picking the lock. Dax quickly ducked out of the window’s view, making his way to the kitchen area.  _ Where would the dessert be? Oh, of course. Freezer. _

Heavy freezer doors creaked open as Dax searched its contents. V’s spirit shivered and curled up, a confused and uncomfortable expression crossing his face. Dax swore under his breath and pulled the hoodie tighter around themselves in hopes of keeping V from waking. He quickened their pace, searching for something worthwhile amongst the frozen packages of food. Their eyes landed on a shelf stocked with tubs of ice cream. Miniature cakes with ice cream-filled centers sat nearby. Much to Dax’s delight, they were indeed chocolate.

It would be troublesome to keep the confection cold until they found a safe space. Dax could always wake V now, but being away from their temporary refuge might freak him out. He supposed it couldn’t be helped. 

V would eventually figure out that they weren’t where they were supposed to be and he’d be mad, but there was no way he could stay angry at someone who had just gotten cake for him. Maybe Dax could steal some cookies just for good measure. At least, he’d be able to save those for later.

Finding some paper bags, Dax began loading the dessert into the bag, but he couldn’t help having a taste of one of the chocolate chip cookies.

Yep, he definitely liked being up here on Earth.

V’s soul shifted and Dax stiffened.

_ “Dude, what the hell?” _ V groaned as he woke up.

_ “You honestly didn’t think I’d skip out on getting you a gift this year, did you?”  _

Dax could feel V glaring,  _ “I told you not to do anything stupid! You promised!” _

_ “This isn’t stupid.” _

_ “What are you even--? Are you stealing cookies!? Where are we right now, Dax?!” _

_ “The Divine Diner,”  _ the demon laughed.

_ “This isn’t funny. You seriously risked our lives for a chocolate fix? Are you nuts?” _

Dax sobered,  _ “Look, I’m sorry. I just thought it was about time you had a cake for your birthday. Besides….you never did specify what you meant by ‘don’t do anything stupid.’” _

The demon felt a heavy sigh of resignation,  _ “I’ll make sure to be more specific next time….can we--can we just hurry up and get outta here before someone shows up, please?”  _

_ “You got it, V,”  _ Dax grinned as he finished piling the cookies into the bag. He grabbed some utensils as well as one of the mini cakes and was about ready to leave when they came face to face with a stranger.

_ “We’re dead, we’re dead, we are so dead and it’s all because of you and your incessant craving for chocolate,”  _ a terrified V violently shuddered inside, his spirit’s anxiety rippling through their body and making Dax even more nervous at this sudden turn of events.

It was deadly silent for what seemed like a really long time, but couldn’t possibly have been more than a minute or two. The stranger lifted his glasses for a moment and blearily rubbed at his eyes as if he wasn’t quite certain that what he was seeing was real or not. Dax took this as their opportunity to get out of there, bunching the stolen bag of baked goods into their large pockets and running past the stranger as fast as their human legs could carry them.

“Hey, wait a second!” the man finally seemed fully awake.

Dax slammed into the backdoor, their forehead wrinkling in confusion. It was locked. Why was it locked?!

_ “What’s going on?” _

_ “I don’t know!” _

_ “Let me see,”  _ V grumbled impatiently, shoving the demon aside.  _ “Is this the door you came through?” _

_ “Of course it is, I’m not an idiot,” _ he hissed in reply.

_ “Could’ve fooled me.” _

 

V let out an alarmed shout as the man grabbed them by the wrist. They spun around to face him, their heart rate skyrocketing.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I just wanna know how you got in,” the guy said, trying to get a better look at their face.

The thief refused to answer, trying to pull loose from the man’s grip. His brain didn’t register the words, his focus was on the hands on his wrist. They reminded him too much of the shackles and the scalding pain that came after.

He worked to wrestle their arm away, letting out a low hiss and an animal-like snarl. The man blinked in surprise at their attempts to get away and he looked like he was ready to let them go until his eyes landed on the boy’s arm; the sleeve had fallen back during the struggle to reveal at least three deep burn marks, each a different symbol than the last.

The stranger gasped and let go of the boy, his gaze falling onto the hooded figure’s frightened eyes.

“I’m sorry, I--”

Before the restaurant owner could finish his sentence, the thief was running out the front door. 

* * *

_ “V! You left the cake behind!”  _ Dax whined.

_ “Shut up! I am NOT going back!” _

The demon was silent as they made their way down the street, V removing the mask and hood as soon as he was sure they were far enough away and that they weren’t being followed. 

_ “Where are we going now?”  _ the demon quietly asked.

V sighed,  _ “I think--I think I need my music. It helps me feel safe.” _

_ “Fair enough. Here, let me take over. You didn’t get enough sleep.” _

_ “No way am I sleeping after THAT,”  _ V protested.

Dax grimaced,  _ “Okay, I’ll admit I was being pretty stupid. But I just wanted to do something special. You’re so cautious that sometimes I think you forget to live.” _

_ “I appreciate the thought, I really do….but I don’t like waking up and not knowing where I am.” _

_ “I’m sorry,”  _ Dax said sheepishly.  _ “You really should rest though.  _

V relented and his spirit switched places with the demon. The rest of the walk was mostly quiet until Dax started snickering to himself.

 _"What's so funny?"_ V groaned.

 _"I--I was just thinking about what you said earlier...."_ the demon grinned and felt the other's annoyance, _"....about how you said my chocolate cravings would get us killed."_

The boy huffed impatiently, _"Yes, what about it?"_

_"....Death by chocolate."_

V rolled his eyes, but Dax could feel him smirking, _"You're such a dork."_


	8. Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the next full moon draws near, Roman is faced with the pain of shifting and remembering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: past child abuse, blood, fever, death mention, food mention

_Roman didn’t remember that night as clearly as he wanted to. After the werewolves took him, he had passed out from the loss of blood. Part of him was still sure that it was all a nightmare and that he’d wake at any moment to the sound of his older brother’s obnoxious snoring._

_Instead, it felt like someone had set his insides aflame. Perhaps it had been a nightmare after all, some cruel vision spurred on by whatever sickness he had contracted. The heat was unbearable and he felt like throwing up, but that wasn’t even the worst part._

_He groaned and turned over, eyes still closed as he wavered on the edge of sleep and awareness. The voices echoed around him, loud, inconsiderate, and so very bothersome._

_“Werewolves?!” a woman screamed, “You brought him back after being bitten by werewolves?”_

_“Of course I did,” an annoyed and tired sounding voice snapped back at her, “I wasn’t going to leave him there to bleed out and die.”_

_“Well you should have,” a man replied, his gruff voice devoid of emotion and leaving no room for argument. It was almost as if they weren’t arguing about life and death, though Roman wasn’t exactly sure who they were talking about. At the moment, it hardly mattered. The conversations were probably just fever dreams after all._

_“How can you even say that?” a smaller voice asked, “He’s your son.”_

_“Not anymore. No, now he’s like you. Nothing more than a monster,” the man said in disgust._

_The woman wailed, “And I had such high hopes for him! My beautiful, perfect little boy!”_

_“He’s still alive, you idiots! He’s still here. Or did you only pretend to love him because he fit the picture of a perfect happy family? Made you look good in front of all your snobby well-to-do friends?”_

_“You better shut that mouth of yours or I’ll put a muzzle over it. I’ve done it before and I can do it again,” there was pure hatred within that voice. The threat seemed to quiet the room for awhile and Roman could feel the tension rising._

_“Y--you haven’t been able to do that ever since I’ve learned to shift into my bat form.”_

_The man scoffed, “You think I haven’t studied your weaknesses? One can never be too sure when they have a vampire living under their roof.”_

_“I don’t care what you do to me, but you can’t hurt Roman. He’s still the same person, he’s just--he’ll--”_

_“He’ll turn into a monster and kill everything in sight during the full moon, right? Why don’t you really tell us why you want to protect that thing? Hm, Remy?”_

_“What do you mean? He’s still the same--”_

_“No, he’s not!” the man angrily yelled and there came a startled cry from the other, which was quickly muffled, “He’s like you now. Isn’t that what you wanted? You even share a weakness to silver. Looks like I’m gonna need to get another muzzle to deal with you fucking creatures.”_

_Roman heard a fearful sound of protest near him….protecting him._

_“Unlike you, he can't just stay hidden away in the basement. Not when he changes. So you either kill it or we keep it in a kennel, your choice. It’s what we should’ve done with you a long time ago.”_

_There was the sound of footsteps and a door closing and then it was silent, save for the almost inaudible sobs beside him. He felt a cool hand softly touch his forehead, sweeping back his bangs. Roman knew this touch, these voices, those names. The answers remained at the edge of his mind, just out of reach. The fiery fever greatly distracted him and he felt like his head was going to explode, part of him kind of wanted it to happen just so the pressure would go away. He felt it pushing on his temples and pulling at his jaw, he heard it ringing in his ears and letting loose a shrill scream so unbearable that he may have cried out despite his deathlike stupor, hands desperately searching for someone--anyone--to pull him out of the hellish flames that were beginning to climb their way into his veins and torture his soul._

_It seemed like forever, but gentle fingers interlaced with his own, cool and reassuring. His eyes fluttered open for a moment and there was a hazy image of a face partially obscured by sunglasses and something else, something shiny and strange. Roman blinked and his vision went dark once more before he could make sense of his surroundings. It didn’t matter, he figured. He was safe for right now. He was going to be fine, he was going to be okay._

_The young prince stopped fighting total unconsciousness, his mind drifting further from reality. At some point, he noticed a change. The pain was shifting, the throbbing being replaced with thrumming, the thrumming being replaced with humming. Sweet humming, captivatingly beautiful. Music to his ears, growing stronger and more mesmerizing with each step he took._

_Step? He blinked, noticing the earth beneath his….paws?_

_This was--this was wrong. Where was….why couldn’t he remember the other boy’s name? He knew him, didn’t he?_

_Roman let out a distressed whine until the music came back, clearer than before. It calmed his nerves, it was meant for him, it wanted him to follow. And he did, chasing the sound to the deeper parts of the forest only to find that it was frustratingly unattainable._

_He swiped at the silvery light that reflected off of the lake’s surface, angry at it for mocking him in such a way. The moon’s melody reverberated inside of him, powerful and magnetic. It hummed, it sang, it played, it cried, it howled._

_The music flowed through him, blocking out all his worries. He was suddenly overjoyed, splashing through the water and singing along to his heart’s content. The scent of the forest and the refreshing air rushing at him as he danced, leapt, and ran. Dizzy and giddy, he chased the moon’s glow. He was no longer lost in his human worries, his soul no longer burning to rip out of his flesh._

_Free_

_Legs running faster than ever before, paws barely touching the dirt and it almost felt like he was flying. If he were human, he would’ve been laughing._

_He was invincible and nothing could touch him. The other creatures cowered before him._

_It wasn’t fire coursing through his veins, it was music and moonlight. It called, pulling at something deep within him. Adventure, excitement, impulse, instinct._

_He didn’t know what he was doing or where he was going, but everything was within his reach. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the feelings. He had sharper senses, sharper claws, sharper teeth._

_They dug and tore and ripped._

_And there were new noises that resounded above the moon’s spellbinding lullaby, strange heart-wrenching cries and calls. And….where was he?_

_Roman blinked once more, unexpectedly pulled away from his blissful ignorance. The human part of him jerked awake to see the ravaged body of a deer at his feet; he felt the blood of the creature dripping down his maw. Terrified eyes met what must have been his monstrous wolfish ones as the poor animal pitifully wailed once more._

_And now he was running again, running away from what the wolf had made him do. It wasn’t him, it couldn’t be._

_Where was he? Where was his family? He had a brother, didn’t he? Oh, what was his name?_

_The wolf prince shook his head in exasperation and whimpered. He couldn’t remember what any of his family members looked like. He couldn’t even remember what_ he _looked like in human form. He wanted it back. He wanted them all back, but where were they? Where was he?_

 

Roman’s eyes flew open and he gasped for air, his body temperature rising and his mouth dry. Was it his imagination or were his veins protruding out of his hand more than usual? His nails seemed sharper too and--oh, why did his muscles feel like _that_?

He fell back upon his pillow in exhaustion and just stared at the ceiling for a moment, letting the memories flood back to him.

His parents had wanted him gone, even before his first full moon. They had wanted him dead.

If it hadn’t been for his brother….Remy.

Yes, Remy. Now he remembered….Remigius Deeth was his name. Their parents ironically had a horrible habit of picking old-fashioned names and then had the nerve to complain about their sons being creatures from ancient folklore. And of course the vampire absolutely hated his name and preferred its shortened form.

Speaking of the creature of the night….

Roman forced himself to sit up in bed, surveying his surroundings more thoroughly. This wasn’t his usual bedroom. But of course it wasn’t, it had been about two years since they had left home. They had been living on the streets and in the woods, barely getting a meal a day. This was--this was….Roman wracked his brain for a few minutes, trying to recall. It came slower this time. It was a blurred face gradually becoming clearer in his mind.

Logan. They were at Logan’s place.

And they were safe here.

The young prince relaxed his shoulders a bit, smiling softly. He finally found the strength to stand up despite the pain he felt coursing through his muscles. It felt as if his arms and legs had been working overtime, but Roman ignored the feeling and went to his window, nervously checking the night sky. The waxing moon glowed yellow tonight, bright and foreboding against the ebony darkness, almost resembling an eye. It was watching him, it knew what he was; it waited for the moment he'd be under the spell once more.

He sighed, knowing the signs of an impending change all too well. The dreams, the wolfish memories, the aching muscles, the fire he felt in his blood….they signaled the beginnings of his transformation.

Roman hastily closed the curtains, deciding he needed a cold glass of water. The torrid heat was making his mouth uncomfortably dry.

 

There was a small squeak of surprise as the kitchen lights flickered on, revealing a very startled vampire bat. The prince couldn’t help but laugh as a burger fell out of the air, presumably because Remy was too small in this form to hold it. The vampire shifted back into his human form, looking indignant, “Roman! Why’d you have to scare me like that?”

“Sorry,” the prince covered his smirk, “I didn’t know you were hiding out in the kitchen.”

“You made me drop my food,” Remy grumbled.

Roman eyed the uncooked patty lying on the floor and tried not to recall the deer from his dream, “Where’d you even get a burger at this time of night?”

His brother shrugged, ignoring the question.

“Remy….if you were really that hungry, you could’ve just asked Logan to get you one. I’m sure he wouldn’t have minded.”

“I didn’t want to bother him. It’s the middle of the night and he’s got work tomorrow. Besides….” Remy looked uncomfortable,  “....I think I’m more bored than hungry.”

“You went out to steal food because you were bored?” Roman asked incredulously.

“Maybe.”

The prince sat down at the table with an exasperated sigh, “I don’t see why you feel the need to lie to me. Don’t you trust me?”

“I--it’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just….your my little bro, okay?” the vampire avoided Roman’s gaze and opened a kitchen cabinet, grabbing a glass and filling it with ice water. He scooted the cup toward his brother, still avoiding his eyes. “You talk in your sleep sometimes and it’s almost impossible to wake you from those kinds of dreams; I don’t--I don’t know what to do. I’m supposed to know these things, but I don’t.”

“You don’t have to know everything,” Roman took a sip of his water, trying to will away the burning pain he felt, “I know I can be a bit of a handful….”

Remy glanced up sharply, “What’re you talking about, Ro?”

“I’m not stupid you know, I can see how much I--”

“Stop right there, don’t you dare say another word! Gurl....” he rolled his eyes, “You are not a burden, you are a gift. And I will fight anyone who ever says otherwise, so don’t be such a dummy or I might just have to fight you.”

Roman smiled, “I think I’d win the fight though.”

“Okay, that’s it. You better square up, princey boy,” Remy grinned as he got into a silly fighting stance. Roman just laughed at his brother’s antics, smirking as he got an idea. He dipped his hands in his cup of water and splashed droplets towards Remy. “Oh no,” the vampire dramatically fell to the ground, “He’s got holy water! It _burnsss_ ….what a world, what a world!”

“That’s the Wicked Witch of the West, you weirdo.”

“Hmm, I guess that makes you Dorothy then. You go gurl, rock those ruby red slippers!” he threw his fist up in the air before closing his eyes and letting his arms fall to the floor.

“Remy, this is no time to play dead,” Roman scolded as he crawled under the table to poke at his brother’s ribs.

“Hey, that tickles,” the fledgling swatted his hand away, “And who said I was playing?”

“Haha, very funny. I don’t think you’re allowed to make that joke until you go full vamp though.”

“But what if I already feel dead inside?”

“I think that just makes you more human.”

“Maybe,” Rem chuckled.

“Are you gonna get off the floor anytime soon?”

“Nope, I’m nothing more than a puddle. I’m sticking to my role.”

“Puddles don’t talk,” Roman pointed out.

“Says who?”

“Says me,” the prince rolled his eyes. “Besides, vampires don’t melt like wicked witches, they just simmer a bit.”

“It’s more relaxing to pretend to be a puddle.”

Roman sat quietly next to his brother for a moment, lost in thought. “Rem?”

“Hm?” blood red eyes blinked in question.

“You went out tonight because the full moon is in a few days and you knew I was having the dreams again. You went out to find a safe place for me to transform, didn’t you?”

Remy stared at the ceiling and sighed, his gaze flickering to his brother’s troubled expression, “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Why didn’t you wait? For me? Or for Logan? Why do you always have to do these things by yourself?”

“I guess….sometimes when I’m awake and everyone else is asleep, I tend to forget that I’m not alone. And like I said before, you don’t really wake when the memories start coming back. It’s….hard to just sit around and do nothing when you’re asking for help, usually from me, but sometimes from mom and dad.”

“I….ask for mom and dad?”

Remy nodded solemnly and Roman didn’t know what to say to that, he just let the silence wash over them as his headache grew worse. He didn’t really want to go back to sleep because he knew that if he did, there was a possibility of being trapped in his own head for awhile. But at the same time, he didn’t think he could stay awake for much longer. So the prince laid down beside his brother on the cool kitchen floor instead. “....I don’t miss them, you know.”

The vampire didn’t open his eyes this time as he replied. “You shouldn’t have to say stuff like that. They might not have been the best people, but they were still your parents. It’s understandable for you to instinctively call out for them.”

“But that’s all it is. It’s just instinct,” Roman insisted.

“Whatevs, princey. It hardly matters why it happens, it just….happens. Ain’t no big.”

Roman watched as Remy turned over, his back facing him. Well, that just wouldn’t do.

 

“You wanna know something, Rem?”

“Mmhm?” came a drowsy-sounding reply.

“Your acting skills aren’t all that impressive.”

He heard an indignant gasp from Remy’s side, “You take that back!”

The prince shook his head, “Nope. Sorry, but I’m afraid your witch puddle is rather unconvincing. I think you come off as more of a distressed vampire lying on the ground and pretending that everything is just gucci.”

“....and what does my acting coach think I can improve upon in this scene?”

“Well, I think the whole angsty vamp character is quite overdone. May I suggest being a happier fanged creature of darkness and death? I think I’d be able to help.”

Remy turned around to look at his brother, a hint of amusement in his crimson-colored eyes, “Unrealistic. Blocked.”

“Nice try, but you couldn’t get rid of me even if you tried,” Roman smirked.

“Okay, alright,” the fledgling smiled, “I am offended that you think I’m an angsty vamp, I am _way_ cooler than that. Nevertheless, I am slightly intrigued as to what my acting coach has got to say.”

“I think that the vamp in this scene needs to realize that his brother always went to _him_ for a good bedtime story and for a funny joke and for chasing away nightmares, for all the things that his parents were usually far too busy to help with _._ And he needs to know that when--when the werewolf calls out for mom and dad, he isn’t really calling out for them….”

“What--what’s the werewolf doing then?”

“The wolf--he wants to--he’s remembering how they--how they….” Roman took a deep breath before continuing, “He doesn’t want them to hurt you anymore.”

The prince felt his eyes start to water as he remembered the bits and pieces of the last conversation, the things Remy had said to defend him, arguing until the people they called ‘parents’ had forced him to speak no more.

His brother sat up in alarm, “Roman--”

“I’m okay,” the prince lied as he rubbed at his eyes.

Rem knew better than to argue. Instead, he opened his arms and Roman gratefully accepted the hug. Roman felt a cold hand touch his forehead. “You’re burning a fever,” Remy said worriedly, “You should get some sleep.”

“I know.”

“I can carry you to bed if you want.”

Roman shook his head, “I’d rather just sleep here. It’s not as hot.”

“Alright, if you insist,” the vampire relented, “But I think you should at least have a pillow, okay? I’ll be right back.”

All he could do was nod in agreement, the exhaustion was already getting to him again. He blinked and Remy was back in the kitchen with some pillows. The vampire tucked a pillow under a tired Roman and brushed back his bangs, making sure he was comfortable. Roman smiled sleepily in spite of the throbbing migraine that was forming, “G’night, Rem.”

“G’night, Ro.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, my friends! For those of you who follow me on tumblr, you might know I took a small trip out of country for a little over a week. While I did get some cool inspiration, I hardly had a chance to write. And when I got back, depression and executive dysfunction just seemed to be waiting to greet me home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> If you want, you can find me on tumblr @emphoenixcat


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